• Jacob Razzouk, Omar Ramos, Evelyn Ouro-Rodrigues, Carlos Samayoa, Nathaniel Wycliffe, Wayne Cheng, and Olumide Danisa.
• School of Medicine, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, CA, USA. jacobrazzouk@gmail.com.
• Eur Spine J. 2023 Jan 1; 32 (1): 202620-26.

PurposeTo evaluate the associations among the validated lumbar vertebral bone quality (VBQ) score, and cervical and thoracic VBQ scores.MethodsRadiographic records of 100 patients who underwent synchronous MRI of the cervical, thoracic, and lumbar spine were retrieved. DEXA-validated lumbar VBQ was calculated using median signal intensity (MSI) of the L1-L4 vertebrae and L3 CSF. VBQ was derived as the quotient of MSIL1-L4 divided by MSICSF. Cervical and thoracic VBQ were similarly obtained using C3-C6 and C5 CSF, and T5-T8 and T7 CSF, respectively. Paired sample t-tests were used to evaluate differences among regional VBQ scores. Independent sample t-tests were used to identify sex differences in VBQ. Regression models with one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) were constructed to identify associations among all permutations of anthropometric and regional VBQ measures.ResultsMean cervical, thoracic, and lumbar VBQ scores were 3.06 ± 0.89, 2.60 ± 0.77, and 2.47 ± 0.61, respectively. Mean differences of .127 (p = 0.045) and - 0.595 (p < 0.001) were observed between thoracic and lumbar, and cervical and lumbar VBQ scores. Correlations of 0.324, 0.356, and 0.600 (p < 0.001) were found between cervical and lumbar, cervical and thoracic, and thoracic and lumbar VBQ scores. Regression with ANOVA predicting lumbar VBQ in relation to cervical and thoracic VBQ demonstrated R Square values of 0.105 and 0.360 (p < 0.001), and β coefficient values of 0.471 and 0.217 (p < 0.001), respectively.ConclusionThoracic VBQ provides values representative of the validated lumbar VBQ score. Cervical VBQ scores are distinct from lumbar VBQ scores and do not provide adequate surrogate values of lumbar VBQ.© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.

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