[Evaluation of the usefulness of whole body bone mineral measurement using dual energy x-ray absorptiometry for the diagnosis of osteoporosis in Japanese women].

Although dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) of the anterior-posterior lumbar spine (AP L2-3-4 spine) has been established as a standard procedure by which to assess bone mineral content (BMC), in some cases it does not reflect the true value because of focal sclerosis or other pathological conditions. The purpose of this investigation was to determine the most reliable index of BMC for assessing osteopenia. Bone mineral densitometry was performed at various sites (whole body, AP L2-3-4 spine, lateral L3 spine, femur, and distal radius) in 340 Japanese women. Vertebral fracture, a reliable indicator of osteopenia, was disclosed in 37 subjects. DXA measurements of various sites were obtained, and the bone mineral information was evaluated by comparing the procedure's discriminative ability between women with and without fractures. In addition to conventional whole body BMC (WBBMC) and whole body BMD (WBBMD), the total bone index (TBI), which was defined as WBBMC divided by the BMI (body mass index), was also evaluated. Of all the bone mineral information, TBI showed the best discriminative ability. Whole body bone mineral densitometry was useful.