Bone mass in women with hip fracture.

The bone mineral density was determined by dual-photon absorptiometry on the proximal femur in 32 women with femoral neck fractures, 30 with trochanteric fractures, 39 with a fracture elsewhere than the hip, and 16 premenopausal healthy women. Single-photon absorptiometry was performed at two sites on the radius. The bone mineral density in the neck and intertrochanteric area was greater in the women with femoral neck fractures than in those with trochanteric fractures. The bone mineral distribution in the proximal femur was essentially the same for the femoral neck fracture group as for the reference group of healthy women. Neither the Singh index, determined in radiographs, nor the measurements on the radius by single photon absorptiometry provided a reliable estimate of the bone mineral density in the proximal femur.