Assessment of bone quality by quantitative ultrasound of proximal phalanges of the hand and fracture rate in children and adolescents with bone and mineral disorders

Bone quality by quantitative ultrasound and fracture rate were assessed in 135 (64 males) children and adolescents aged 3-21 y with bone and mineral disorders such as chronic anticonvulsants or glucocorticoids treatment, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, celiac disease, paucity of intrahepatic bile ducts, autoimmune hepatitis, genetic diseases, idiopathic juvenile osteoporosis, disuse osteoporosis, beta-thalassemia major, survivors of acute lymphoblastic leukemia, liver transplantation, calcium deficiency, and nutritional or X-linked hypophosphatemic rickets. Amplitude-dependent speed of sound through the distal end of the first phalangeal diaphysis of the last four fingers of the hand was measured by an ultrasound device. In the majority of patients cortical area to total area ratio by metacarpal radiogrammetry (n = 120) and lumbar bone mineral density (BMD) by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (n = 99) were also assessed. In patients with X-linked hypophosphatemic rickets radial BMD by single-photon absorptiometry instead of lumbar BMD was measured. Mean values of amplitude-dependent speed of sound, cortical area to total area ratio, lumbar BMDarea, or lumbar BMD corrected for bone sizes estimated by a mathematical model (BMDvolume), as well as mean values of radial BMD in patients with X-linked hypophosphatemic rickets, expressed as z score, were significantly reduced (p < 0.0001) in comparison with their reference values (-1.7 +/- 1.0,-2.0 +/- 0.9,-3.0 +/- 1.3,-1.9 +/- 1.0,-2.7 +/- 0.7, respectively). A positive relationship was found between amplitude-dependent speed of sound and cortical area to total area ratio (r = 0.90, p < 0.0001), lumbar BMDarea (r = 0.62, p < 0.0001), or lumbar BMDvolume (r = 0.66, p < 0.0001). Fifty-two patients (38.5%) had suffered fractures in the 6 mo preceding the bone measurements, the radial distal metaphysis being the most frequent fracture site (28.8%). Mean values of amplitude-dependent speed of sound, cortical area to total area ratio, lumbar BMDarea, or lumbar BMDvolume, expressed as z score, of fractured patients were significantly lower (p < 0.0001) than those of fracture-free patients (-2.2 +/- 1.0 and-1.4 +/- 0.8,-2.6 +/- 0.9 and-1.7 +/- 0.7,-3.5 +/- 1.2 and -2.5 +/- 1.0, -2.5 +/- 1.0 and -1.3 +/- 0.7, respectively). Phalangeal quantitative ultrasound may be a useful method to assess bone quality and fracture risk in children and adolescents with bone and mineral disorders.