Densitometria ossea: parametri ultrasonometrici in giovani sani

Background. This study was carried out in order to assess the possible changes of ultrasonometric parameters of bone (SOS, BUA, Stiffness) related to age in a normal male and female Italian population. Methods. A total of 150 healthy subjects subdivided into 2 groups (80females and 70 males) have been studied. The patients have been submitted to a careful anamnesis and clinical observation; the examination has been performed by placing the foot inside the ultrasonograph. Results. The results obtained show that there is a linear increase of SOS, BUA and Stiffness with age in the normal population and a similar pattern is observed in both sexes. Conclusions. These findings suggest that ultrasound parameters are able to detect and monitoring characteristics of bone structure. Therefore, ultrasound measurement should be considered as an alternative to radiation quantitative based methods for the assessment of the skeleton.