[Assessment of osteopenia following oophorectomy by quantitative computed tomography and its relation with...

In order to determine the pathogenesis of post-oophorectomy osteopenia, we investigated the bone mineral status and biochemical parameters, and identified high-turnover bone metabolism. The present study was undertaken to determine whether there is a decrease in bone mineral content of peripheral bone or axial bone and cortical bone or trabecular bone using the microdensitometry method and a modified quantitative computed tomography method in 40 [24 premenopausal females (controls) and 16 premenopausal females who underwent oophorectomy]. We also investigated what biochemical and endocrinological parameters are changed, for example, Ca-regulating hormones and sex steroids, etc. As a result, it found that the reduction in bone mineral content due to oophorectomy occurs mainly in the axial bone, especially in the trabecular bone. It was considered that oophorectomy causes high-turnover osteopenia, in which bone formation is promoted but is outweighed by bone resorption, resulting in an overall decrease in bone mineral content. It also seemed that E2 is significantly related to bone metabolism, causing insufficient suppression of bone resorption. However, Ca-regulating hormones appeared not to be directly related to bone metabolism during the period (average: 39.6 months) after oophorectomy.