Peripheral Quantitative Computed Tomography (pQCT) Imaging
The General Clinical Research Center at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center operates a Stratec XCT 2000 pQCT (Orthometrix, White Plains, NY). It is operated by the same technologists and during the same hours as the DXA equipment. IRB/Radiation Safety approval and GCRC Advisory Committee approval are needed for all research protocols. The pQCT is available for research scans only. It is not available yet for clinical purposes as there is no pediatric reference database (normal range) available for interpretation.
The pQCT densitometer measures volumetric bone mineral density (BMD) (mg/cm3) and cross sectional bone dimensions at peripheral skeletal sites: the radius and tibia. The pQCT allows for selective measurement of cortical and trabecular density, bone area, cortical area, cortical thickness, periosteal and endosteal circumference, muscle cross-sectional area and biomechanical strain strength indices. Bone density measurements by DXA (a two dimensional technique) are affected by skeletal size, and changes in density may be obscured by changes in skeletal size. Measurement of volumetric BMD is advantageous because it is independent of skeletal size.
A pQCT scan takes about 10 minutes and is therefore generally not feasible in children under six years of age. Radiation exposure expressed as Effective Dose per scan site is approximately 0.3µSv.
Contact Us
For more information about the General Clinical Research Center Body Composition Core Laboratory at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, please contact Donna Buckley, 513-636-8549 or donna.buckley@cchmc.org
