J Korean Orthop Assoc.  1999 Dec;34(6):1153-1157.

Differences in Bone Mineral Density by Using Different Densitometers or by Measuring Different Sites of Spine in Osteoporotic Vertebral Fractures

• Moon WN
• Oh HJ
• Suh SW

Abstract

PURPOSE
To see whether different types of DEXA and levels of lumbar vertebrae show any differences in making standard values of lumbar bone mineral density (BMD) in osteoporotic vertebral fracture.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Four hundred and sixty-two postmenopausal women who visited our center due to back pain were screened. Sixty osteoporotic vertebral fracture out of 462 patients were subdivided into QDR group and DPX group, according to densitometers (QDR 39 patients, DPX 21 patients). The BMD was compared between the two groups. The difference between BMD measured in L3 and that measured in L2-4 was analyzed by student t-test. Fracture threshold was defined.
RESULTS
There was no difference between BMD of L3 and L2-4 standard level (P>0.05). The mean BMD measured by QDR and DPX, using L2-4 standard, were 0.667+/-0.127 g/cm2 and 0.756+/-0.123 g/cm2, respectively, and showed statistically significant difference (P=0.012). Fracture threshold was 0.831 g/cm2 in QDR and 0.896 g/cm2 in DPX.
CONCLUSION
The type of bone mineral densitometer should be taken into consideration in follow-up of osteoprosis patients, and the L3 standard level might not be superior over the conventional L2-4 standard level in measuring BMD in osteoporotic vertebral fracture patients.

Keyword

Osteoporosis; Vertebral fracture; DEXA; Postmenopausal women

MeSH Terms

Back Pain
Bone Density*
Female
Follow-Up Studies
Humans
Lumbar Vertebrae
Osteoporosis
Spine*