Volumetric bone mineral density using peripheral quantitative computed tomography in Japanese women

The present study evaluated a commercial device for peripheral quantitative computed tomography (pQCT) and examined the age-related changes in normal Japanese women. The volumetric bone mineral density (vBMD) of the distal radius [integral bone mineral density (BMD_I), trabecular bone mineral density (BMD_T) and cortical with subcortical bone mineral density (BMD_SC)] was measured using pQCT (Norland-Stratec XCT960) in 617 healthy women aged 20–79 years and 75 subjects with osteoporosis aged 60–89 years who exhibited at least one vertebral fracture. The short-term precision errors in vivo (CV, %) were 1.1% for BMD_I 1.1% for BMD_T and 1.2% for BMD_SC. The correlations between pQCT and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry measurements (Lunar DPX) of the lumbar spine werer0.8 (BMD_I, BMD_T and BMD_SC). The maximal mean vBMD values were observed between 20 and 49 years; BMD_I BMD_T and BMD_SC all showed a linear postmenopausal decline averaging 1.1% per year. The overall decreases in vBMD from the peak values in those 70–79 years were 34%, 32% and 33% in BMD_I, BMD_T and BMD_SC, respectively. The diagnostic sensitivity of osteoporosis was expressed as aT-score.T-scores using pQCT were –3.0 (BMD_I), –2.4 (BMD_T) and –2.9 (BMD_SC). Bone mineral measurement of the distal radius may be useful in the evaluation of age-related bone loss and for the diagnosis of osteoporosis.