The British Journal of Radiology, Vol 62, Issue 739 587-592, Copyright © 1989 by British Institute of Radiology

ARTICLES

X-ray dual-photon absorptiometry: a new method for the measurement of bone density

ID Cullum, PJ Ell and JP Ryder
Institute of Nuclear Medicine, University College, London.

A recently introduced method (dual-photon X-ray absorptiometry, DEXA) capable of measuring skeletal density in man (at present in the spine and hips, but ultimately for the whole body) has been evaluated in terms of its ability to perform long-term assessment of bone density changes. The method, which uses X rays rather than gamma rays as its photon source, represents a significant improvement over present systems both in image quality and precision (reproducibility) of results, which is better than 1% in vivo. Scanning time is approximately halved compared with present techniques and the radiation dose is reduced by 25%. First data on long-term drift of results and effects of changes in patient composition (i.e. thickness and fat content) are given and show the new method to be superior to present radionuclide systems. It is likely that this new method will become the standard for bone density measurements.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				L Jolley, S Majumdar, and S Kapila Technical factors in fractal analysis of periapical radiographs Dentomaxillofac. Radiol., November 1, 2006; 35(6): 393 - 397. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J Norcross and M D Van Loan Validation of fan beam dual energy x ray absorptiometry for body composition assessment in adults aged 18-45 years Br. J. Sports Med., August 1, 2004; 38(4): 472 - 476. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. C. ter Maaten, H. de Boer, O. Kamp, L. Stuurman, and E. A. van der Veen Long-Term Effects of Growth Hormone (GH) Replacement in Men with Childhood-Onset GH Deficiency J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab., July 1, 1999; 84(7): 2373 - 2380. [Abstract] [Full Text]