THE USE OF ULTRASOUND MEAN ACOUSTIC ATTENUATION TO QUANTIFY BONE-FORMATION DURING DISTRACTION OSTEOGENESIS PERFORMED BY THE ILIZAROV METHOD- PRELIMINARY-RESULTS IN 5 DOGS

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES. Management of distraction during Ilizarov li mb lengthening remains primarily clinical and empirical. Estimates of tissue acoustic attenuation were evaluated for their ability to quanti fy bone formation within the distraction gap. METHODS. Five dogs had t ibias lengthened by the method of Ilizarov. Mean acoustic attenuation measurements at multiple positions across the distraction gap were com pared with corresponding x-ray computed tomography attenuation measure ments. RESULTS. Computed tomography and ultrasound attenuation display ed similar quantitative behavior across the gap. Linear correlation be tween them ranged from R(2) = .878 to R(2) = .131. Fibrous interzone w idth estimates based on computed tomography and ultrasound attenuation measurements were correlated, based on our preliminary data with R(2) = .519. These estimates are independent of the width of distraction. CONCLUSIONS. Ultrasound parallels computed tomography as a measure of bone formation within the distraction gap. Future studies are needed t o improve acoustic attenuation:data acquisition techniques and to eval uate their potential as a tool for optimizing early distraction rates in patients at risk for rate-related complications.