The proposed project will document bone loss in the legs of spinal-cord injured patients, using a sample of 20 individuals with recent spinal-cord injury. The research will evaluate the pattern of bone loss over a 2-year period, after injury. Specifically, the onset of bone loss and the rate of loss will be analyzed. In addition to individual and group comparison over time, the amount of bone loss will be compared to some bone-specific markers. This research should yield information important to the well-being of paralyzed individuals, in addition to data of broader significance and applicability. Precise knowledge of bone-loss rates and patterns (up to .5% precision) will aid in decisions about patient suitability for walking experiments, now becoming more prevalent with advances in the field of functional electrical stimulation. It will also provide a basis for the development of treatment methods for bone loss, either for paralyzed individuals or those who are confined to bed for long periods of time. Finally, the spinal-cord injured patient serves as a model to study the effects of weightlessness in space flight, permitting estimation of maximal duration of space travel without long-term bone loss.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01AR040231-04
Application #
2079916
Study Section
Orthopedics and Musculoskeletal Study Section (ORTH)
Project Start
1991-09-25
Project End
1996-08-31
Budget Start
1994-09-01
Budget End
1996-08-31
Support Year
4
Fiscal Year
1994
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
Wright State University
Department
Biomedical Engineering
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
City
Dayton
State
OH
Country
United States
Zip Code
45435
Hangartner, T N; Skugor, M; Landoll, J D et al. (2000) Comparison of absorptiometric evaluations from total-body and local-regional skeletal scans. J Clin Densitom 3:215-25
Miller, M E; Hangartner, T N (1999) Bone density measurements by computed tomography in osteogenesis imperfecta type I. Osteoporos Int 9:427-32
Miller, M E; Hangartner, T N (1999) Temporary brittle bone disease: association with decreased fetal movement and osteopenia. Calcif Tissue Int 64:137-43
Hangartner, T N; Gilsanz, V (1996) Evaluation of cortical bone by computed tomography. J Bone Miner Res 11:1518-25
Hangartner, T N; Rodgers, M M; Glaser, R M et al. (1994) Tibial bone density loss in spinal cord injured patients: effects of FES exercise. J Rehabil Res Dev 31:50-61