Related Experiment Videos
Osteoporosis screening--radiogrammetry revisited
A A Kalla1, O L Meyers, N D Parkyn
1Department of Medicine, University of Cape Town, South Africa.
British Journal of Rheumatology
|December 1, 1989
Summary
Digitized radiogrammetry offers a reproducible and rapid method for measuring bone mass. This technique accurately quantifies metacarpal osteoporosis in rheumatoid arthritis and other conditions.
Area of Science:
- Orthopedics
- Rheumatology
- Radiology
Background:
- Radiogrammetry is a practical method for bone mass assessment.
- It is the sole objective technique for quantifying metacarpal osteoporosis in rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate an automated digitized radiogrammetry technique for measuring combined cortical width (CCW).
- To assess the reproducibility and utility of this method in distinguishing bone mass differences between controls, RA, and SLE patients.
Main Methods:
- An automated digitizer interfaced with an IBM PC was used to measure CCW at the mid-shaft of six metacarpals.
- Reproducibility was assessed via intra-observer, inter-observer, and inter-institution variability using a phantom.
- Intra-patient variation was evaluated in RA patients over a short interval.
Main Results:
- The digitized radiogrammetry method demonstrated high reproducibility across observers and institutions.
- No significant intra-patient CCW variation was observed in RA patients.
- Significant differences in CCW were found among premenopausal control, RA, and SLE groups (p < 0.001).
- Bone mass calculation for six metacarpals took under 5 minutes.
Conclusions:
- Digitized radiogrammetry is a reproducible, rapid, and objective technique for metacarpal bone mass assessment.
- It offers an improvement over traditional Vernier caliper methods.
- The technique is suitable for epidemiological studies and monitoring long-term radiological changes in RA.