To the Editor:
High-resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography (HR-pQCT; Scanco Medical AG, Brüttisellen, Switzerland) is a novel peripheral CT instrument capable of accurately and reproducibly imaging bone microstructure at great resolution (isotropic voxel dimension of 82 μm). It provides precise measures of 3-D microstructural morphometric details and volumetric density of the cortical and trabecular components of bone (Figure 1), with minimal radiation exposure (< 3 μSv per scan)1. Therefore, HR-pQCT has the potential to identify and quantify early microstructural bone quality changes before permanent bone damage has occurred. To date, HR-pQCT has been used to assess bone quality in a variety of metabolic bone conditions. Image acquisition and analysis protocols are well defined for the …
Address correspondence to Dr. C. Barnabe, 3330 Hospital Dr. NW, Calgary, Alberta T2N 4N1, Canada. E-mail: ccbarnab{at}ucalgary.ca