European Journal of Radiology 68S (2008) S95–S99 Evaluation of osteoporotic bone structure through synchrotron radiation X-ray microfluorescence images I. Lima a,∗ , M.J. Anjos a,b , M.L.F. Farias c , T.U. Pantaleão d , V.M. Corrêa da Costa d , R.T. Lopes a a Nuclear Engineering Program/COPPE/UFRJ, P.O. Box 68509, Av. Horácio Macedo 2030, Sala I-133, Cidade Universitária, 21941-914 Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil b Physics Institute, UERJ, Brazil c University Hospital, UFRJ, Brazil d Biophysics Institute, UFRJ, Brazil Received 15 April 2008; accepted 28 April 2008 Abstract The abnormal accumulation or deficiency of trace elements may theoretically impair the formation of bone and contribute to osteoporosis. In this context, the knowledge of major and trace elements is very important in order to clarify many issues regarding diseases of the bone, such as osteoporosis, that remain unresolved. Several kinds of imaging techniques can be useful to access morphology and the minerals present in osteoporotic bones. In this work, synchrotron radiation X-ray microfluorescence was used as an X-ray imaging technique to investigate bone structures. Therefore, this research aims to improve the knowledge about some aspects of bone quality. The measurements were carried out at the Brazilian Synchrotron Laboratory Light Laboratory, in Brazil. A white beam with an energy range of 4–23keV, a 45 ◦ /45 ◦ geometry and a capillary optics were used. It was demonstrated that bone quality can and must be evaluated not only by considering the architecture of bones but also by taking into account the concentration and the distribution of minerals. Our results showed that the elemental distributions in bone zones on a micron scale were very helpful to understand functions in those structures. © 2008 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved. Keywords: Bone; Imaging; Synchrotron; Osteoporosis; Hyperthyroidism 1. Introduction Lately, some public diseases have become not only a clini- cal problems, but public health problems as well, especially in poor and developing countries. One of these diseases is osteo- porosis. It is defined as a systemic skeletal disease characterized by a decrease in bone mass and deterioration of the microar- chitecture. Increase of bone fragility and a greater susceptibly to fractures [1] also occur. This is not the unique definition and there are many other definitions of this disease. In all of them, it is not possible to talk about osteoporosis without mention- ing some fundamentals words such as, fracture, density, pores and calcium. In osteoporosis, bone mineral density decreases, causing bone fragility to increase. Untimely, the bone becomes ∗ Corresponding author. Tel.: +55 21 2562 7308; fax: +55 21 2562 8444. E-mail address: inaya@lin.ufrj.br (I. Lima). more susceptible to fractures. In this context, the increase of bone porosity is linked with a lack of calcium. Osteoporosis can be associated with several disorders, such as an imbalance of the thyroid hormones which happens in hyperthyroidism. Hyperthyroidism generally occurs due to the overproduction of too much thyroid hormone. Excessive admin- istration of thyroid hormone in medications can also result in signs and symptoms of hyperthyroidism [2]. One of the problems that occur when the thyroid is too active or when too much thy- roid hormone medication is given, is bone loss from osteoporosis [3–5]. In recent years, a consensus has been reached: bone min- eral density alone does not explain or and predict bone health. It is necessary to look beyond this parameter, to take into consideration other aspects such as trabecular bone microarchi- tecture. In this context, mineral concentration and distribution of elements, such as calcium and phosphorous, have the same degree of importance. These two chemical elements, in the 0720-048X/$ – see front matter © 2008 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.ejrad.2008.04.045