ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the role of high-resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography (HRpQCT) in identification and assessment of risk factors for osteoporotic fractures. In an ageing population, osteoporosis represents a major and ever increasing burden of disease, with great personal, societal and economic consequences following associated fragility fractures. With the advent of high resolution, site-specific imaging techniques, HRpQCT has become an invaluable novel method of investigating bone microstructure at the peripheral skeleton. There are important sequelae associated with diabetes mellitus, including adverse effects on bone health. While current data are inconsistent, with the majority of studies in women, there is now evidence to suggest that cortical microarchitecture may play a role in fracture risk of patients with diabetes. The assessment of bone health is clinically important in the context of identifying osteoporotic patients at high risk of fracture. HRpQCT can be used in assessment of bone microarchitecture in the context of risk factors for post peak bone loss and osteoporotic fractures.
