Radiogrammetry of the soft tissue at the index finger in acromegaly

Measurements of the soft-tissue width and phalanx width at the index finger were made in 30 acromegalic patients and compared with values obtained in a large control population. The width of the phalanx, total finger width and soft-tissue thickness are significantly larger than expected and the soft-tissue index values are significantly lower than expected. An important overlap between normal and acromegalic values is found for the soft-tissue index and width of the proximal phalanx. The measurement which best discriminates acromegalics from normal is the total finger width. The soft-tissue thickness parameter is also very sensitive for the detection of acromegalic changes and has the advantage of not being sex and age dependent.