ArticleBrain & spine2023
Correlation between MRI-based spinal muscle parameters and the vertebral bone quality score in lumbar fusion patients.
Article in Brain & spine, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed, 4 citations in OpenAlex.
- Magnetic resonance imaging-derived vertebral bone quality correlates with computed tomography-derived bone density and paraspinal muscle degeneration: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Asian spine journal · 2026Article
- Magnetic Resonance Imaging-Based Assessment of Bone Quality Using Vertebral Bone Quality (VBQ) Scores in Spine Surgery-A Critical Assessment and Narrative Review.Journal of clinical medicine · 2025Review
- Emerging MRI-based spine scoring techniques targeting bone quality to assess osteoporosis, vertebral fracture risk, other spinal degenerative diseases, and post-surgical outcomes.La Radiologia medica · 2025Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
13 authors at 1 institution in 4 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Introduction: The vertebral bone quality (VBQ) score that is based on non-contrast enhanced T1-weighted MRI was recently introduced as a novel measure of bone quality in the lumbar spine and shown to be a significant predictor of healthy versus osteopenic/osteoporotic bone. Research question: This study aimed to assess possible correlations between the VBQ score and the functional cross-sectional area (FCSA) of psoas and lumbar spine extensor muscles. Material and methods: Patients who underwent fusion surgery between 2014 and 2017 and had lumbar MRI and CT scans within 6 months prior to surgery were included. The FCSA was assessed at L3-L5 using a pixel intensity threshold method. The VBQ score was calculated by dividing the signal intensity (SI) of the vertebrae L1-L4 through the SI of the cerebrospinal fluid at L3. Volumetric bone mineral density (vBMD) was assessed by quantitative CT. Results: 80 patients (58.8% female, median age 68.8 years) were included. Overall prevalence of osteopenia/osteoporosis was 66.3%, with no significant differences between men and women. The mean (SD) VBQ score was significantly smaller in men, at 2.26 (0.45) versus women at 2.59 (0.39) ( Conclusion: Our results highlight sex differences in the VBQ score that were not demonstrated by vBMD and suggest a potential role of this novel measure to assess not only bone quality, but also spinal muscle quantity.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.