Feasibility of bone assessment by using the nonlinear parameter in trabecular bone

The purpose of the present study is to investigate the feasibility of assessing bone status and osteoporosis by using the nonlinear parameter B/A in bovine trabecular bone in vitro. The B/A values measured in 18 bovine femoral trabecular bone samples by using a finite-amplitude through-transmission method ranged from 63.3 to 122.6. The apparent bone density was highly correlated with the B/A and with the existing quantitative ultrasound parameters of the speed of sound (SOS) and the normalized broadband ultrasound attenuation (nBUA), with Pearson's correlation coefficients of r = 0.83 to 0.96. The best univariate predictor of the apparent bone density was the B/A, with an adjusted squared correlation coefficient of r (2) = 0.91. These results suggest that the B/A, in addition to the SOS and the nBUA, may have potential as an index for the assessment of bone status and osteoporosis.