The Impact of Bone Mineral Density on Bone Metabolism and the Fracture Healing Process in Elderly Chinese Patients With Osteoporotic Vertebral Compression Fractures

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of bone mineral density (BMD) on bone histomorphological parameters and bone turnover markers (BTMs) following osteoporotic vertebral compression fracture (OVCF) and to determine the correlation between BMD and the percentage of middle height compression during the healing process. Methods: A total of 206 patients with OVCFs were included in this study. Bone biopsy specimens were acquired during surgery. Blood samples were obtained to determine the serum concentrations of BTMs. The patients were divided into 2 groups according to BMD. Results: The concentrations of N-terminal propeptide of type I collagen (PINP) in the T-score -2.5 group (50.92 +/- 12.78 ng/ml) were significantly lower than those in the T-score 0.001) in the T-score -2.5 group during the same period. BMD was statistically correlated with cancellous bone content (R-S = 0.761, p <0.001), PMHC (R-S = 0.85, p < 0.001), fibrous tissue volume (R-S = -0.376, p < 0.001), and necrotic bone content (R-S = -0.487, p < 0.001). Conclusions: The healing process of OVCFs in the setting of low bone mass frequently occurs in the presence of decreased bone formation abilities, severe vertebral body height loss and a large amount of necrotic bone.