X-ray densitometry applied to the study of prenatal ossification.

To evaluate bone mass (BMC) and bone density (BMD) it is possible to utilize x-ray absorptiometry. This method is usually employed in clinical practice for the evaluation of metabolic osteopathies. The authors describe an application of this diagnostic technique to the study of the ossification pattern of the human vertebral column in pre- and post-natal life. On this regard, an ultra high resolution software allowed to analyze quantitative aspects of the ossification of small size vertebral bodies by lateral scans directly performed on bone specimens.