Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41207959›Full record

ArticleEuropean spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society2026

Vertebral bone quality score as a novel tool for bone mineral density assessment: which measurement approach is more accurate?

Ze Zhou, Jia-Qi Wang, Kiyimba Daniel Mwesigwa, Yu Chen, Pei-Lin Jin, Xin-Yu Dong, Hua-Qing Zhang, Lu-Ping Zhou, Chong-Yu Jia, Liang Kang and 3 more

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In one paragraph

Article in European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

13 authors.

Ze Zhou *Department of Orthopedics & Spine Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui , 230022, China.
Jia-Qi Wang *Department of Orthopedics & Spine Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui , 230022, China.
Kiyimba Daniel Mwesigwa *Department of Orthopedics & Spine Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui , 230022, China.
Yu ChenDepartment of Orthopedics & Spine Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui , 230022, China.
Pei-Lin JinDepartment of Orthopedics & Spine Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui , 230022, China.
Xin-Yu DongDepartment of Orthopedics & Spine Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui , 230022, China.
Hua-Qing ZhangDepartment of Orthopedics & Spine Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui , 230022, China.
Lu-Ping ZhouDepartment of Orthopedics & Spine Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui , 230022, China.
Chong-Yu JiaDepartment of Orthopedics & Spine Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui , 230022, China.
Liang KangDepartment of Orthopedics & Spine Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui , 230022, China.
Hui-Ya MaHealth Management & Checkup Center, First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, 210 Jixi Road, Hefei, Anhui , 230022, China.
Cai-Liang ShenDepartment of Orthopedics & Spine Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui , 230022, China. shencailiang@ahmu.edu.cn.
Ren-Jie ZhangDepartment of Orthopedics & Spine Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui , 230022, China. zhangrenjie1089@126.com.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveThis study compared single-segment and multi-segment lumbar vertebral bone quality (VBQ) score measurements in assessing bone mineral density (BMD), diagnosing osteoporosis, and predicting thoracolumbar fragility fractures to determine the more accurate and practical method.

methodsA retrospective analysis was conducted on patients who underwent lumbar spine MRI and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) at the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University between August 2019 and August 2023. After applying inclusion and exclusion criteria, 210 patients were enrolled(86 with fractures, 124 without). On sagittal T1-weighted MRI images, regions of interest (ROI) were placed within the trabecular bone from L1 to S1 and adjacent cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). VBQ was calculated as the ratio of vertebral trabecular bone signal intensity (SI) to CSF SI. Both single-segment (VBQ

resultsAll VBQ scores significantly correlated with BMD

conclusionVBQ scores demonstrated weak-to-moderate correlations with BMD

Indexed as

Bone DensityLumbar VertebraeMagnetic Resonance ImagingOsteoporosisSpinal FracturesAbsorptiometry, PhotonAgedAged, 80 and overFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedBone mineral densityDEXALumbar spineMRIOsteoporosisVBQ

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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.