Purpose: To investigate the relationship of spinal osteophytes to vertebral bone mineral density (BMD) and to spinal fracture.
Materials and methods: This relationship was investigated in 203 men. Integral BMD was measured with dual x-ray absorptiometry, and both cortical and trabecular BMD were measured with quantitative computed tomography (QCT).
Results: Trabecular BMD was found to decrease with age in subjects with and without large osteophytes, while cortical and integral BMD decreased with age only in subjects without large osteophytes. Trabecular BMD in men without fracture was significantly higher than in those with fracture (P < .05 for BMD measured with single-energy QCT), while there was no significant difference between these groups in cortical or integral BMD.
Conclusion: Measurement of trabecular BMD with QCT provides information useful in detection of age-related bone loss and of fracture in men with and without osteophytes.