Decreased 133Xe clearance in the proximal femur in acromegaly

Using the 133Xe tissue clearance method, the blood flow in the greater trochanter of the femur was studied in 30 patients with acromegaly. Both the washout rate constant (k2) and blood flow (P2) values are significantly decreased in acromegaly (p less than 0.01). There is a significant negative correlation (r = -0.42, p less than 0.05) between the flow values and mean daily concentrations of growth hormone in serum of acromegalic patients. The observations is presented as a preliminary evidence of a possible influence of growth hormone on the blood flow in bone.