Türk Osteoporoz Dergisi (Mar 2005)
Correlation Between Digital X-Ray Radiogrammetry Findings and Bone Mineral Density in Postmenopausal Women
Abstract
The relation between bone mineral density (BMD) determined by dual energy X ray absorptiometry (DEXA) and radiogrammetric measurements on digital radiographies was investigated in this study. Fifty-seven postmenopausal women who had applied for DEXA measurement were included in the study. External diameter (ED) and internal diameter (ID) measurements were performed on the mid-points of the longitudinal axis of the non-dominant second metacarpal bone on digital radiographic images. By using these two measurement values, the combined cortical thickness (CCT), cortical area (CA), medullary area (MA), metacarpal index (MI) and cortical ratio (CR) values were determined by simple geometrical calculations. The osteoporosis group had 28 women and the control group 29 women after DEXA evaluations. ID and MA were found to be significantly higher (p<0.001); and CCT, CR and MI significantly lower (p<0.001) in women with osteoporosis. BMD of lumbar spine (vertebrae L2-L4) positively correlated with CCT (p<0.05). Positive correlations were found between BMD of femur neck and CCT (p<0.001), MI, CR (p<0.05). BMD of femur Ward’s triangle correlated with CCT, MI and CR positively while it correlated negatively with ID and MA (p<0.001). Similarly BMD of femur trochanter showed positive correlations with CCR, CA, MI, CR (p<0.001), and negative correlations with ID and MA (p<0.05). No significant threshold value could be provided in the ROC curves in order to discriminate patients with osteoporosis from normal. The concordant relations found between bone geometry measurements and DEXA seemed to be encouraging to prove probably the value of digital radiogrammetry for the discrimination of osteoporotic patients from normal, in studies with larger patient population.
