The Use of Peripheral Quantitative Computed Tomography to Obtain Bone and Muscle Measures in Children

Peripheral quantitative computed tomography (pQCT) is a type of computed tomography used to measure bone mineral density (BMD) in the peripheral skeleton. An advantage of this technology is the ability to separate trabecular bone tissue from cortical bone tissue. The technology is now being used to investigate geometric and biomechanical properties of bone and correlate muscle strength and bone strength in children. Bone research over the past decade has increasingly emphasized the importance of muscle development on bone development of the growing skeleton. The following chapters of this dissertation present papers that have added to work In the field of pQCT use in children. The technique and validation of using pQCT to measure the tibia in children, centile curves of various bone parameters measured by pQCT in healthy children age 5-22 years, pQCT bone outcomes in children with cerebral palsy, and muscle and bone relationships of the lower leg in healthy children using measures of muscle force and muscle power are presented. pQCT measurements are leading to a better understanding of bone development in children