Bisphosphonates and Bone

Abstract

The clinical use of drugs, which modestly increase bone mineral density, but have sufficient effects on the fracture prevention comparable to bisphosphonates, focuses on the research of the quality of the bone. Clinical investigations using micro CT, Fourier transform infrared imaging spectroscopy, quantitative computerized tomography, and/or other new modalities which support bisphosphonate treatment do not show any quality problems of the bone. In the clinical setting, evaluation of bone quality is very limited, even in the evaluation of patients treated with bisphosphonate, except evaluation by the changes of metabolic markers of bone. The new modalities such as low radiation-dose CT, sensitive MRI or ultra sonography are expected for the clinical evaluation of the changes of bone quality.