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Factors influencing an ultrasound-estimated bone mass in postmenopausal women
1Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Nagoya University School of Medicine, Japan.
Objective:
There are various methods for determining bone-mineral density for diagnosing osteoporosis. The most accurate method among them is dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA), and the simplest one utilizes an ultrasound bone densitometer. We investigated factors influencing the correlation between bone-density values determined by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry and by the use of an ultrasound bone densitometer.
Methods:
Sixty-seven postmenopausal Japanese women aged from 31 to 68 years old were enrolled in the study. Bone-mineral densities (BMDs) of the lumbar spine (L2-4) measured by DEXA and broadband ultrasound attenuation (BUA) of the right os calcaneus measured by an ultrasound bone densitometer were subjected to statistical analysis.
Results:
Multivariate analysis indicated that the patient's exercise history was useful-following the number of years since menopause and body weight-for determining lumbar spine bone-mineral density. The influence of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) on bone mass in postmenopausal women is also considered to be marked, but the results of the present multivariate analysis showed almost no influence on BUA or the L2-4 BMD.
Conclusions:
The patient's exercise history should be taken into consideration when lumbar spine bone-mineral density is estimated using an ultrasound bone densitometer instead of DEXA.