Bone mineral content in the forearm after fracture of the upper limb

The bone mineral content was measured by gamma absorptiometry in patients who had sustained fractures of the upper limb. Measurements were taken on the shafts of the forearm and in the trabecular bone immediately proximal to the wrist. Fractures of the surgical neck of the humerus and fractures of the shaft of the humerus did not significantly influence the bone mineral content of the ipsilateral forearm. Fracture of the radius and the ulna, however, caused a 15% loss of the bone mineral content in the trabecular bone proximal to the wrist, whereas the mineral content on the shafts of the fractured forearms increased or decreased depending on the fracture site. The findings suggest that measurements of bone mineral content of the forearm are not necessarily invalidated if there has been a fracture of the same limb. Only if the forearm itself is fractured should measurements on this site be avoided.