Axial and appendicular bone mineral content determined by computed tomography. Relationship to age and body size in...

Bone density and mass related values were determined in femoral condyles and in the second lumbar vertebra in males of middle age. A poor agreement was found between measurements in the two locations. The measurements were compared with age and body size by means of correlation analysis and multiple regression analysis. There was a significant linear relationship between lumbar measures and age (beta coefficient -0.61 and -0.75) while the relationship with age for the femoral measures was less (beta -0.36 and -0.45). For all measurements there was a poor correlation with body size (weight, length and surface area). Bone mineral content measurements in the lumbar and appendicular skeleton have different clinical implications. When selecting a method for estimating the bone mineral content careful attention must be paid to what type of information is wanted and whether the method is adequate for that particular purpose.