[Quantitative assessment of mineral content in metacarpal bone with Fuji computed radiography]

A new microdensitometry method for quantitative assessment of bone mineral content using Fuji computed radiography (FCR) was developed and the results were compared with those obtained by the conventional film-screen method. Using both methods, X-ray pictures of the 2nd metacarpal bone were taken with a reference aluminum step wedge in nine normal subjects and nine parameters representing the width and density of bone marrow and cortex were calculated in the middle of the bone shaft. Interobserver reproducibility assessed for three parameters was significantly higher in the FCR method than the conventional one. The value of sigma GS computed by the FCR method, that is equivalent to the net bone density of the transverse section of the shaft, showed higher correlation with the one obtained by computed tomography in comparison with the conventional method. In our FCR method, moreover, interobserver reproducibility and accuracy was improved by employing automatic manipulation as much as possible in the process of calculation. The exposure dose in the FCR method could be reduced to half of the one in the conventional method without deteriorating the accuracy. In conclusion, our new microdensitometry method with FCR provides high accuracy and good reproducibility for the measurement of bone mineral content with small exposure dose and is likely to be useful for the long-term follow-up of the osteoporotic patients from the variety of causes.