BONE ABSORPTIOMETRY - A CRITICAL-APPRAISAL OF VARIOUS METHODS

The replacement of biopsies by non-invasive techniques for the measurement of bone mass has been important in the diagnosis and follow-up of osteoporosis. These techniques have enabled investigators to demonstrate the importance of the menopause in osteoporosis, and they have revealed the relationship between low bone mass and the increased incidence of fracture, as well as the impact of drugs on bone mass. The low radiation and high precision of recently developed non-invasive techniques have also made feasible the investigation of children and adolescents for the non-invasive quantitative assessment of bone mass. This short review provides a critical appraisal of the various non-invasive methods that have been developed to measure bone mass (1).