[The measurement of ultradistal radial bone minerals in women in the menopause]

An anthropometric, radiomorphometric and absorptiometric study was carried out to check whether or not reliable information about the mineral content of trabecular bone could be acquired from the ultradistal epiphysis of the human radius. The results indicate that a radius scan 1.2 to 1.6 cm proximal to the ulnar styloid tip gives reproducible information as to the mineral content of a bone which is mainly trabecular in nature. In the ultradistal radial region the bone mineral analyzer (Norland 2780) was always able to automatically find bone edges. The measurement error was 4%, and BMC values were not significantly different in the various subjects; BMC values were positively correlated with body mass and muscular area in postmenopausal women. Conversely, in no subject a direct correlation was found between BMC and BW values at sequential scan sites; BMC/BW ratios were more than 10% variable, and the differences were statistically significant (p less than 0.01). Finally, the comparison of age-related changes in the BMC of ultradistal and mediodiaphyseal radii demonstrated that the former expresses the specific metabolic reactivity of the trabecular bone.