Imaging evaluation of 3-D architecture in vertebral trabecular bone

Objective In our paper, the change of trabecular bone mass and microstructure and their relationship with the incidence of osteopenic fractrure were studied.Methods In this study, we used an advanced spiral CT scanner to perform a series of 3-D reconstruction of cancellous bone, and we investigated the architecture and connectivity of cancellous bone calculated by a Euler law with an implementation of noninvasive 3-D reconstruction in vivo. Results Results demonstrate that the transversal cancellous bone gradually disappears and the longitudinal one gets thinner as age increases. And the connectivity of cancellous bone is gradually lost. Images of 2-D transversal section may contribute to the connective depicting of cancellous bone to the limit, owing to irregular orientations in longitudinal cancellous bone. We could not simply make a comparison between the cancellous bone which have different microstructure patterns. Conclusions We found from the connectivity and density of 3-D reconstruction, that one case with a platelike structure has a relatively high density and relatively low connectivity, whereas the other case with a rod-like structure has a relatively low density and a relatively high connectivity.