J Korean Soc Spine Surg.  1999 May;6(1):41-46.

The Usefulness of the Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry(DEXA) for the Bone Density of the Tricortical Iliac Graft in the Spinal Interbody Fusion

• Choi YS
• Kim KS
• Kim JH
• Jung JY

Abstract

STUDY DESIGN: We analyzed the bone mineral density of the thoracolumbar spine after anterior interbody fusion in the thora-columbar spinal fractures.
OBJECTIVES
To study the usefulness of the DEXA for the bone density of the tricortical iliac graft in the spinal interbody fusion.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
We measured the bone mineral density using the DEXA(Hologic, QDR-2000) in 21 cases who had the anterior interbody fusion of the thoracolumbar spinal fractures. The average length of the graft was 43(35-50) milimeters. We assessed the percentage of the bone mineral density which were obtained by multiplying one hundred after the bone min-eral desity in central graft was divided by the average value of the bone mineral density in above and below vertebra of the fusion.
RESULTS
The maximum percentage of the bone mineral density was 188% on the 42nd postoperative months in 6 cases of the L2 burst fracture, 164% on the 32nd postoperative months in 8 cases of L1 burst fracture, and 153% on the 38th stoperative months in 7 cases of T12 burst fracture. The cases which were followed rather than the maximum percentage of the bone min-eral density tended to decrease the percentage of the bone mineral density.
CONCLUSION
The measurment of the bone mineral density using the DEXA is one of the useful method for evaluation of the tricortical iliac graft in the spinal interbody fusion.

Keyword

Thoracolumbar spine; Anterior interbody fusion; bone mineral density

MeSH Terms

Bone Density*
Spinal Fractures
Spine
Transplants*