Volumetric bone mineral density using peripheral quantitative computed tomography in Japanese women

The present study evaluated a commercial device for peripheral quantitative computed tomography (pQCT) and examined the age-related changes in normal Japanese women. The volumetric bone mineral density (vBMD) of the distal radius [integral bone mineral density (BMDI), trabecular bone mineral density (BMDT) and cortical with subcortical bone mineral density (BMDSC)] was measured using pQCT (Norland-Stratec XCT960) in 617 healthy women aged 20-79 years and 75 subjects with osteoporosis aged 60-89 years who exhibited at least one vertebral fracture. The short-term precision errors in vivo (CV, %) were 1.1% for BMDI, 1.1% for BMDT and 1.2% for BMDSC. The correlations between pQCT and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry measurements (Lunar DPX) of the lumbar spine were r approximately 0.8 (BMDI, BMDT and BMDSC). The maximal mean vBMD values were observed between 20 and 49 years; BMDI, BMDT and BMDSC all showed a linear postmenopausal decline averaging 1.1% per year. The overall decreases in vBMD from the peak values in those 70-79 years were 34%, 32% and 33% in BMDI, BMDT and BMDSC, respectively. The diagnostic sensitivity of osteoporosis was expressed as a T-score. T-scores using pQCT were -3.0 (BMDI), -2.4 (BMDT) and -2.9 (BMDSC). Bone mineral measurement of the distal radius may be useful in the evaluation of age-related bone loss and for the diagnosis of osteoporosis.