Assessment of bone quality by the technique of multispiral computer tomography in patients with chronic osteomyelitis

Purpose - to study the roentgenomorphological features of the lower limb long bones in patients with chronic osteomyelitis using the technique of multi-spiral computer tomography (MSCT), and to propose the complex of parameters to assess bone quality. Material and methods. Roentgenography and computer tomography of the hips were performed in 49 patients with chronic osteomyelitis of long bones of lower extremities. The studies made using computer tomographs GE Light Speed VCT, Toshiba Aquilion-64, Somatom Smile. Results. The changes in bone structure of proximal femur were characterized by extremely marked polymorphism, and they almost didn’t repeat in the anatomical component. The cortical plate had heterogenous structure with resorption zones in the area of its transfer to the shaft. The character of roentgenomorphological changes in the shaft was individual in all the patients, but there were common manifestations as well which consisted in thickening of the cortical plate, different intensity of periosteal and endosteal layers. The cortical plate was significantly different in density, which exceeded 1700 HU in some places. When osteomyelitic process localized in the knee marked changes affected its all components, they manifested themselves in extended osteoporosis and local osteosclerosis. When osteomyelitic process localized in proximal tibia extensive resorption zones observed, the cortical plate thinned in proximal parts, its density was not more than 350 HU. Conclusion. The data demonstrated that bone quality in patients with chronic osteomyelitis had significant deviations from normal values in terms of changing both its density and architectonics. The deviations consisted in bone density decrease in the meta-epiphyseal part regardless of the process localization, in highly variable density values of the cortical plate as a result of its thickening or thinning, presence of resorption or sclerosis areas.

хронический остеомиелит, компьютерная томография, качество кости, chronic osteomyelitis, computer tomography, bone quality