Methods of predicting musculoskeletal disease
This invention is directed to methods of predicting bone or joint disease in a subject. The invention is also directed to methods of determining the effect of a candidate agent on any subject's risk of developing bone or joint disease.
1. A method for assessing bone condition in a subject by obtaining information regarding one or more bone parameters from an image of the subject in a computer system, the method comprising:
(a) obtaining the image comprising image of a bone of the subject;
(b) defining two or more regions of interest (ROIs) in the image;
(c) analyzing a plurality of positions in the ROIs to determine one or more bone microarchitecture parameters and one or more bone macro-anatomy parameters;
(d) combining the parameters into a numerical index; and
(e) comparing the numerical index against a reference database.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the ROIs are overlapping.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the positions analyzed in the ROIs are at regular intervals in the image.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the positions analyzed in the ROIs are at irregular intervals in the image.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the positions analyzed are at regular intervals.
6. The method of claim 1 , further including determining one or more biomechanical parameters of the bone of the subject.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the image is two-dimensional.
8. The method of claim 7 , wherein image is an x-ray image.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the image is three-dimensional.
10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the image is an electronic image.
11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the subject is an osteoporosis subject.
12. A method of generating a map of one or more bone parameters, comprising:
(a) obtaining information on bone parameters according to the method of claim 1 ; and
(b) identifying regions of the image that exhibit similar parameter characteristics, thereby creating a parameter map of the image.
13. A method of predicting a fracture path in a subject, comprising:
(a) generating two or more parameter maps according to the method of claim 12 ;
(b) generating a composite parameter map from the two or more parameter maps of step (a); and
(c) analyzing the composite parameter map to identify possible fracture paths.
14. A method of determining the risk of fracture in a subject comprising:
(a) predicting a fracture path according to the method of claim 13 ; and
(b) evaluating one or more selected bone parameters along the predicted fracture path, thereby estimating the risk of fracture.
15. A method of predicting the risk of fracture in a subject comprising:
(a) generating a finite element model from one or more parameter maps obtained according to the method of claim 12 ;
(b) applying simulated force vectors that would occur during a fracture incident to the finite element model generated in step (a); and
(c) determining the minimum forces required for fracture to occur, thereby estimating the risk of fracture.