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Radiological determination of changes in bone mineral content
Radiography
|January 1, 1978
Summary
Simple X-ray methods can reliably measure bone mineral changes. Radiographic morphometry, specifically metacarpal cortical width, is most accurate for assessing bone loss and evaluating osteoporosis treatments.
Area of Science:
- Radiology
- Orthopedics
- Endocrinology
Background:
- Bone mineral content changes are crucial for diagnosing osteoporosis.
- Radiographic techniques offer accessible methods for bone status assessment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the accuracy of radiographic techniques for measuring bone mineral content changes.
- To compare morphometry and densitometry for assessing bone status.
- To assess the efficacy of estrogen therapy in preventing post-menopausal bone loss.
Main Methods:
- Morphometry of the third metacarpal, focusing on cortical width measurement.
- Densitometry.
- Photon absorptiometry.
- A clinical trial of estrogen therapy for post-menopausal osteoporosis.
Main Results:
- Metacarpal cortical width measurement via morphometry proved most accurate and reliable.
- Densitometry yielded variable results with no clear advantage over cortical width measurement.
- Photon absorptiometry is an acceptable alternative for bone status assessment.
- Estrogen therapy demonstrated a preventative effect on post-menopausal bone loss.
Conclusions:
- Simple radiographic morphometry, particularly cortical width measurement, is a reliable method for assessing bone mineral content changes.
- Estrogen therapy appears effective in preventing post-menopausal bone loss as indicated by radiographic assessments.