Peripheral and axial measurements of trabecular bone density in patients suspected of idiopathic vertebral osteoporosis.

In 18 patients with idiopathic crush fracture syndrome, iliac trabecular bone volume measured in 8 mm trephine biopsies correlated well with trabecular bone density as estimated in low thoracic or high lumbar vertebrae by computed tomography (CT). The CT of trabecular bone in the radius correlated poorly with the other two measurements, but it discriminated fairly well between patients and age-matched controls. These results suggest that abnormally low trabecular bone density values in the radius may be useful in predicting some patients at risk for crush fractures, but ranking patients in order of severity of axial bone loss after they have acquired a fracture requires measurements on the spine or iliac crest.