Preferential loss of trabecular bone rather than cortical bone most directly explains the high incidence of which clinical fracture type?

• A. Vertebral compression fractures, because vertebrae contain a high proportion of trabecular bone that collapses when internal struts are lost.
• B. Skull fractures from minor head impacts, because cranial vault bones are rich in trabecular bone and show the earliest signs of age-related trabecular thinning.
• C. Femoral shaft fracture from direct lateral trauma, because the mid-shaft is composed predominantly of trabecular bone and thus becomes brittle early in osteoporosis.
• D. Distal phalanx avulsion fractures, because finger bones are almost entirely cortical bone and their health depends primarily on trabecular integrity in long bones.

Answer: (A)