Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41440536›Full record

ArticleMedical sciences (Basel, Switzerland)2025

Evaluation of Bone Mineral Density: Correlating MRI Cervical Vertebral Bone Quality, CT Hounsfield Units, and DEXA T-Scores.

Rose Fluss, Riana Lo Bu, Alireza Karandish, Sertac Kirnaz, Rafael De la Garza Ramos, Saikiran G Murthy, Reza Yassari, Yaroslav Gelfand

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Medical sciences (Basel, Switzerland), 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing 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

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
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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

8 authors.

Rose FlussDepartment of Neurosurgery, Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY 10461, USA.
Riana Lo BuDominick P. Purpura Department of Neuroscience, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461, USA.
Alireza KarandishDominick P. Purpura Department of Neuroscience, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-7482-8247
Sertac KirnazDepartment of Neurosurgery, Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY 10461, USA.
Rafael De la Garza RamosDepartment of Neurosurgery, Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY 10461, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-5536-2514
Saikiran G MurthyDepartment of Neurosurgery, Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY 10461, USA.
Reza YassariDepartment of Neurosurgery, Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY 10461, USA.
Yaroslav GelfandDepartment of Neurosurgery, Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY 10461, USA.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

BACKGROUND/

objectivesDual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA), the gold standard for assessing bone mineral density (BMD), may yield inaccurate results in certain populations. This has prompted interest in alternative imaging methods, including the MRI-based cervical and lumbar vertebral bone quality (CVBQ and LVBQ) scores. The lumbar VBQ score is a validated MRI-based metric with excellent inter- and intra-rater reliability and established clinical utility in preoperative spine assessment, whereas the newer cervical VBQ (CVBQ) score has shown mixed results in early studies. This study investigates associations between a novel CVBQ score derived from MRI and established BMD metrics (Hounsfield unit (HU) measurements and DEXA values) to evaluate the comparative utility of these methods.

methodsA retrospective review was performed on patients who underwent cervical CT, DEXA, and non-contrast MRI of the cervical and lumbar spine between 2016 and 2022. BMD was assessed using DEXA T-scores, cervical HU measurements, and CVBQ and LVBQ scores derived from T1-weighted MRI sequences. Statistical comparisons between patients with and without osteoporosis were conducted using

resultsA total of 133 patients were included for CVBQ scoring and 127 for LVBQ. The CVBQ score showed poor correlation with both DEXA (r = -0.09,

conclusionsThe LVBQ score demonstrates moderate correlation with DEXA and may serve as a reliable tool for preoperative BMD assessment. However, the CVBQ score showed weak correlation with both DEXA and HU, limiting its clinical utility in its current form. Further refinement of the CVBQ methodology is needed to enhance its accuracy and relevance for surgical risk assessment and postoperative outcome prediction.

Indexed as

Absorptiometry, PhotonBone DensityCervical VertebraeMagnetic Resonance ImagingTomography, X-Ray ComputedAdultAgedAged, 80 and overFemaleHumansLumbar VertebraeMaleMiddle AgedReproducibility of ResultsRetrospective Studiesbone mineral density (BMD)cervical vertebral bone quality (CVBQ)dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA)Hounsfield unit (HU)osteoporosis

Identifiers

PMID41440536
PMCPMC12734921

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