Normal values of heel quantitative ultrasound parameters in normal population of Tehran (7-20 & Y/O)

Quantitative Ultrasound (QUS) is a noninvasive and inexpensive portable method for bone mineral densitometry (BMD). QUS measures some other parameters like elasticity and microarchitecture in addition to BMD. This study designed to determine the normal values of QUS parameters (SOS, BUA and SI) of the calcaneus in a normal population of Tehran.

BMDs of the heel in 259 normal men and women, 20 - 76 Y/O (participant of the Iranian Multicenter Osteoporosis Study (IMOS) were assessed using Achilles+ (a QUS device from Lunar corp.) After assessment of normal values, Stiffness Index (SI) percentiles (2.5, 50, 97.5) in men and women were established.

Mean values of SOS, BUA and SI in women were s36/75±1527/25, 121/42±15/1, 94/46±17/92 respectively and in men were 1553/63±43/20, 127/80± 13/09, 100/19±18/77 respectively. Mean of SI in men and women 20 - 40 Y /0, had no significant difference with reference data used for QUS device. On the other hand there was a good correlation between diagnostic groups in reference values and results of our study (K= 0/875). Relation between age and sex and QUS parameters was significant.

Results of this study show a good correlation between normal values of QUS of an Iranian population in this study and reference values of the American and European populations.