The reproducibility of measuring trabecular bone parameters using a commercially available high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging approach: A pilot study.

Bone imaging is currently the best non-invasive way to assess changes to bone associated with aging or chronic disease. However, common imaging techniques such as dual energy x-ray absorptiometry are associated with limitations. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a radiation-free technique that can measure bone microarchitecture. However, published MRI bone assessment protocols use specialized MRI coils and sequences and therefore have limited transferability across institutions. We developed a protocol on a Siemens 3 Tesla MRI machine, using a commercially available coil (Siemens 15 CH knee coil), and manufacturer supplied sequences to acquire images at the tibia. We tested the reproducibility of the FSE and the GE Axial sequences and hypothesized that both would generate reproducible trabecular bone parameters. Eight healthy adults (age 25.5 ±â€¯5.4 years) completed three measurements of each MRI sequence at the tibia. Each of the images was processed for 8 different bone parameters (such as volumetric bone volume fraction). We computed the coefficient of variation (CV) and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) to assess reproducibility and reliability. Both sequences resulted in trabecular parameters that were reproducible (CV <5% for most) and reliable (ICC >80% for all). Our study is one of the first to report that a commercially available MRI protocol can result in reproducible data, and is significant as MRI may be an accessible method to measure bone microarchitecture in clinical or research environments. This technique requires further testing, including validation and evaluation in other populations.

The Efficacy of Low-intensity Vibration to Improve Bone Health in Patients with End-stage Renal Disease Is Highly Dependent on Compliance and Muscle Response.

RATIONAL AND OBJECTIVES: Low intensity vibration (LIV) may represent a nondrug strategy to mitigate bone deficits in patients with end-stage renal disease. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty end-stage renal patients on maintenance hemodialysis were randomized to stand for 20 minutes each day on either an active or placebo LIV device. Analysis at baseline and completion of 6-month intervention included magnetic resonance imaging (tibia and fibula stiffness; trabecular thickness, number, separation, bone volume fraction, plate-to-rod ratio; and cortical bone porosity), dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (hip and spine bone mineral density [BMD]), and peripheral quantitative computed tomography (tibia trabecular and cortical BMD; calf muscle cross-sectional area). RESULTS: Intention-to-treat analysis did not show any significant changes in outcomes associated with LIV. Subjects using the active device and with greater than the median adherence (70%) demonstrated an increase in distal tibia stiffness (5.3%), trabecular number (1.7%), BMD (2.3%), and plate-to-rod ratio (6.5%), and a decrease in trabecular separation (-1.8%). Changes in calf muscle cross-sectional area were associated with changes in distal tibia stiffness (R = 0.85), trabecular bone volume/total volume (R = 0.91), number (R = 0.92), and separation (R = -0.94) in the active group but not in the placebo group. Baseline parathyroid hormone levels were positively associated with increased cortical bone porosity over the 6-month study period in the placebo group (R = 0.55) but not in the active group (R = 0.01). No changes were observed in the nondistal tibia locations for either group except a decrease in hip BMD in the placebo group (-1.7%). CONCLUSION: Outcomes and adherence thresholds identified from this pilot study could guide future longitudinal studies involving vibration therapy.