Leuprolide acetate and bone mineral density measured by quantitative digitized radiography.

Quantitative digitized radiography uses low-energy photons to measure bone density with precision not available in older techniques. Using this method, lumbar spine density was evaluated in 12 women before and after 6 months of therapy with LA. A 2.9% decrement in mean bone density was documented. The reproducibility of quantitative digitized radiography suggests that this small degree of bone mineral loss is a real phenomenon and not an artifact of measurement. The clinical significance of this degree of bone mineral loss has yet to be established.