Microindentation Technology Could Identify Osteoporosis Early

A handheld device for diagnosing the early signs of osteoporosis could be available for clinical use within five years.

Developed by researchers at the University of Southampton (United Kingdom) the device is designed to measure the ability of bone tissue to prevent small cracks growing into full-blown fractures by pressing a microscopic needle into the top layer of bone. Measured electronically, the amount of penetration indicates how fragile the bone tissue is, and therefore the risk of experiencing an osteoporotic fracture later in life. A normal reading might see the needle sink into the bone by around 20 micrometers (0.02 mm); a reading of 40 micrometers might indicate a significant risk of fracture.


In a recent pilot study of the technique, microindentation of a patient's tibiae could clearly identify patients that had a recent osteoporotic fracture from among a group of controls, but the researchers say that further research is required to understand the correlation between microindentation measurements, bone mass, and conventional assessment of in vitro bone tissue fragility through a bone densitometry scan, which measures calcium content per square centimeter using X-rays.

“As the population ages and life expectancy rises in the decades ahead, the cost of treating osteoporotic fractures will increase. One in three women aged over 50 is forecast to experience an osteoporotic fracture in her lifetime and globally, treatment costs are forecast to reach over USD 130 billion by 2050,” said lead researcher Prof. Philipp Thurner, PhD, of the University of Southampton. “The potential improvement in assessing osteoporosis and future fracture risk offered by this new technology could reduce the burden of broken bones for individuals, healthcare systems, and the economy.”

“Bone density scanning is the 'gold-standard' diagnostic tool. However it is not a perfect measure of bone strength and does not show the quality of bone,” said Claire Bowring, medical policy manager at the UK National Osteoporosis Society (Bath, United Kingdom). “New techniques, which look at further measures of bone fragility, are very important in developing our understanding of osteoporosis and bone health and in helping to reduce the number of fragility fractures.”

Related Links:
University of Southampton
UK National Osteoporosis Society