Exclusion of Focal Vertebral Artifacts From Spine Bone Densitometry and Fracture Prediction: A Comparison of Expert Physicians, Three Computer Algorithms, and the Minimum Vertebra

Abstract

We observed fair to moderate agreement between the physician and computer methods for vertebral level exclusion. All methods of vertebral exclusion led to a small improvement in fracture prediction using the lumbar spine measurement. The automated algorithms performed at least as well as physicians when fractures were used as the endpoint.