[A prospective trial on osteoporosis following bilateral ovariectomy with and without oestrogen replacement (author's...

During four years a prospective study was carried out on 59 women, who had ovariectomized bilaterally for non-malignant diseases. It was studied the loss of the body length, the loss of bone mineral content in a middle phalanx expressed as percentage and several x-ray criteria. By means of combined performance signs of a beginning osteoporosis were found in 59 per cent of women after 2 years and in 68 per cent after 4 years after ovariectomy. -- The authors recommend relative simple screening methods: observation of body length, the dual beam x-ray spectrophotometry (Krokowski) and the minimal combined cortex thickness of the proximal radius according Meema. Women undergoing ovariectomy before the menopause should be attended by medical teamwork. The results of oestrogen prophylaxis were not so convincing as other investigators described.