Objective: To evaluate the characteristics and the correlation between trabecular bone score [TBS] and bone mineral density [BMD] in Thai osteopenic menopausal women.

Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study of one hundred twenty Thai postmenopausal women aged 50 to 75 years old, who visited the menopause clinic in Ramathibodi Hospital between April 1 to September 30, 2015, with lumbar spine BMD [LS BMD] T-score between -1 and -2.5 and femoral neck BMD [FN BMD] T-score more than -2.5 were sent to evaluate the TBS of lumbar spine. The correlation analysis was performed to compare the TBS and BMD.

Results: One hundred fifty eight women were enrolled to study. The mean ± SD of age and years since menopause were 56.48±2.96 and 7.98±3.14 years, respectively and the median (range) body mass index was 23.96 kg/m2 (17.09 to 34.80). The median LS BMD, FN BMD, and TBS of lumbar spine were 0.824 g/cm2 (0.725 to 0.885), 0.652 g/cm2 (0.548 to 0.838), and 1.272 (1.08 to 1.42), respectively. The correlation between TBS and LS BMD was minimal (R2 0.134, adjusted R2 0.127).

Conclusion: The correlation of TBS and axial BMD is minimal in Thai osteopenic women. The study confirmed these two parameters reflect the different properties of bone density and bone quality. For further study, the integration of TBS of lumbar spine, axial BMD, and clinical risk factors could be applied for more precisely fracture prediction and better management in osteopenic patient.

Keywords: Trabecular bone score, TBS, Bone mineral density, BMD, Osteopenia, Postmenopause