III-5 Improved Bone Strength With Low-Frequency and Low-Intensity Pulsed Ultrasound (LIPUS) in Osteoporotic Women.

OBJECTIVE:
We examined whether low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS) whose frequency was reduced from the normal level to reach distal parts for long-reach can increase bone mineral density (BMD).
METHODS:
Non-randomized controlled trial was conducted in elderly patients with osteoporosis living in the long-term care facility. LIPUS (oscillation frequency: 100 kHz) was used in the heel bone for 2 minutes a day for about 2 months. The speed of sound (SOS) at the heel bone was measured before and after treatment by the ultrasound bone densitometer CM-100.
RESULTS:
In 19 women of the 30 participants, the SOS was obtained. The average SOS of the treated group (n = 11; average age, 75.2 years old) significantly increased from 1470.4 to 1487.0 within about 2 months of treatment (P = 0.002). The average SOS of the non-treated group (n = 8; 88.1 years old) was increased from 1448.9 to 1461.5 within about 2 months, but this did not reach the significance level (P = 0.124). In a subgroup of patients 80 years and older, the average SOS of the treated group (n = 7; 89.3 years old) significantly increased from 1448.5 to 1474.2 (P = 0.001), but the change in the non-treated group was not significant (from 1442.7 to 1450.9; P = 0.261).
DISCUSSION:
This study suggests that using LIPUS with reduced frequency may increase BMD in the elderly with osteoporosis. Our results demonstrated the effect of LIPUS with reduced frequency on the heel bone, but it is necessary to confirm the effect influences on the femoral neck bone. Improvement of osteoporosis by LIPUS may be considered useful for the elder patients on multiple oral agents.
PMID: 25900764