Rheumatology: Current Research
Open Access

Abstract

Quantitative Ultrasound Measurements at the Calcaneus in a Population of Urban Senegalese Women: Least Significant Difference and T-Score

Souhaïbou Ndongo, Bruno Sutter, Ousseynou Ka, Gnagna Diouf, Mayacine Diongue, Fernando Kemta Lekpa, Abdoulaye Pouye, Mamadou Mourtalla Ka1 and Therese Moreira Diop

Background: Bone ultrasound measurements can be used to evaluate osteoporosis in clinical practice. As with DXA, ultrasonography shows marked variations across racial groups. In the USA, quantitative ultrasound measures were higher in African-American women than in Caucasian women. Few data are available on these measures in African women, and there are no normative data for Senegalese women. Our objectives were to evaluate the least significant difference (LSD) and to establish reference values of quantitative ultrasound measures at the calcaneus in Senegalese women.

Methods: Reference values were obtained in 50 healthy women aged 25-35 years. A UBIS 5000 ultrasound sonometer was used to determine speed of sound (SOS), broadband ultrasound attenuation (BUA), and the Strength Index (STI) at both heels.

Results: In the 50 healthy controls (mean age, 29.8 ± 3.7 years, mean height, 167.3 ± 5.8 cm, mean weight 68.1 ± 13.2 kg; 38 right-handed), BUA (mean of the two sides) was 72.24 ± 6.83 dB/MHz. BUA values were higher in women with regular sporting activities (n=10) and in those with higher body weight values, indicating an increase in bone mass associated with greater loads through the calcaneus.

Conclusion: Quantitative ultrasound parameters measured at the calcaneus using a UBIS 5000 sonometer in Senegalese women showed similar reproducibility to that reported previously in Caucasian women examined using the same sonometer or a comparable sonometer. The mean BUA values in our reference population can be used to compute T-scores in individual female patients in Senegal. Our data support a link between greater mechanical loads and higher bone mass.