Hip Cortical Thickness Assessment in Postmenopausal Women With Osteoporosis and Strontium Ranelate Effect on Hip Geometry

The aims of this study were to assess the relationship between hip geometry and the 5-yr risk of hip fractures in postmenopausal osteoporotic women and the effects of strontium ranelate on these parameters. Using the 5-yr data of a randomized placebo-controlled trial of strontium ranelate (Treatment of Peripheral Osteoporosis Study [TROPOS]), we reanalyzed the hip dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry scans to determine the role of hip geometry in the risk of hip fractures (placebo group, n = 636) and to analyze the effects of strontium ranelate (n = 483). The outcomes included the hip structure analysis (HSA) parameters: cross-sectional area (CSA), section modulus, cortical thickness, and buckling ratio, measured at femoral neck, intertrochanteric (IT) region, and proximal shaft. The geometric parameters associated with an increased risk of hip fracture over 5 yr were IT CSA and femoral shaft cortical thickness independent of age and total-hip bone mineral density (BMD). Using Bonferroni adjustment, IT cortical thickness was associated with the risk of hip fracture. Over 5 yr, significant decreases in some femoral dimensions of the placebo group contrast with significant increases in strontium ranelate group after adjustment for age and BMD. Using Bonferroni adjustment, differences between placebo and strontium ranelate groups were no longer significant after adjustment on 5-yr BMD changes. Some HSA parameters have predictive value for hip fracture risk in postmenopausal osteoporotic women. Strontium ranelate improves some HSA parameters, through the BMD increase.