Prevalence of Osteoporosis in Patients Undergoing Lumbar Fusion for Lumbar Degenerative Diseases A Combination of DXA and Hounsfield Units

摘要

Study Design. Retrospective analysis. Objective. To investigate the prevalence of osteoporosis (OP) in patients undergoing lumbar fusion for lumbar degenerative diseases (LDD). Summary of Background Data. OP is related to many complications after lumbar fusion for patients with LDD. There are sparse data on the prevalence of OP among this specific population. Moreover, LDD can falsely elevate the bone mineral density measured by dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA), leading to unreliable diagnostic results. Computed tomography (CT) Hounsfield unit (HU) values can help identify osteoporotic patients undetected by DXA. Methods. A total of 479 patients aged >= 50 years undergoing lumbar fusion for LDD were reviewed. The diagnosis of OP using DXA was based on World Health Organization criterion. The criterion for OP diagnosed on CT scan was the L1-HU value = 70: 78.8%, P = 50 years undergoing lumbar fusion for LDD, especially for females aged >= 60 years or patients having degenerative lumbar scoliosis. Older patients or patients having degenerative lumbar scoliosis are more likely to have unreliable lumbar T-scores. Measurements of HU values can help identify more osteoporotic patients in this population.