[Determination of bone density of the macerated human radius. Comparison of diverse densitometry methods: computerized axial tomography and single photon ray densitometry].

Bone mineral content (BMC) assays are widely used in clinical practice. The most common techniques in vivo are computed axial tomography (CT) and single photon ray densitometry (SPA). The two techniques were compared in studies of macerated bone (16 macerated radii of both sexes). The BMC was measured first by SPA that provides information on both the trabecular and the cortical bone tissue. CT densitometry was then performed on the cortical bone in the same sites at the SPA. Bone sections were then taken and the area of the depth of the cortical bone calculated on their radiographic images using a semiautomatic image analyser. The results show that data obtained by SPA correlate better with the CT data (r1 = 0.861) than with the figures for the area of the thickness of the cortical bone (r2 = 0.786). This suggests that the BMC of the radius as measured by SPA may depend more on the density than the thickness of the cortical bone.