[Measurement of bone structure on the radiograph. Utopia or reality?]

A method of computerised analysis of bone structure assessment using a professional image analyser is described. Analyses of experimental radiographs of human radius taken over a period of time in a standard laboratory were performed. The radiographic technique was ascertained as the main source of a precision error. The reproducibility of the analysis using the method described was found to hold a limited range of error. The program Quantitrab makes possible a quantitative description of the bone structure parameters on the radiograph.