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Bone Quantitative Ultrasound pp 73–81Cite as

Clinical Applications

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Abstract

Quantitative Ultrasound (QUS) methods measure aspects of bone strength which are associated with the fragility of the bone. It has been proven that QUS (at least for some devices measuring at the heel bone) can predict osteoporotic fractures in elderly women with a predictive power similar to that of the recommended method DXA, which measures x-ray attenuation in the mineral phase of the bone to calculate a bone mineral density. However, the use of QUS in clinical practice is still uncertain. Unsolved quality assurance issues, the diversity of the approaches and the unanswered question, if patients with low QUS results will most likely profit from a therapy still limit the prospects of the method for widespread clinical use. Nevertheless, QUS has the potential for a clinical application. Advantages over DXA are the smaller size and lower price of the devices and the lack of ionizing radiation. Once the mentioned problems will be solved, QUS could become an important part in osteoporosis management, at least in rural environments and less-developed countries with limited access to DXA.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Arbeitsgruppe Medizinische Physik, Klinik für Diagnostische Radiologie, Universitätsklinikum Schleswig-Holstein, Kiel, Germany

    Reinhard Barkmann & Claus-C. Glüer

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  1. Reinhard Barkmann
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  2. Claus-C. Glüer
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Correspondence to Reinhard Barkmann .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. UMR CNRS, Labo. d'Imagerie Parametrique, Université Paris VI, rue de L'Ecole de Medecine 15, Paris, 75006, France

    Pascal Laugier

  2. , Labortatoire Modélisation Simulation Mul, CNRS, Avenue du Général de Gaulle, Créteil, 94010, France

    Guillaume Haïat

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Barkmann, R., Glüer, CC. (2011). Clinical Applications. In: Laugier, P., Haïat, G. (eds) Bone Quantitative Ultrasound. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-0017-8_4

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