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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Boston, Massachusetts » Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center On Aging » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #135620
Title: PRECISION OF SINGLE VERSUS BILATERAL HIP BONE MINERAL DENSITY SCANS

Author
item WHITE, JENNIFER - HNRCA
item HARRIS, SUSAN - HNRCA
item DALLAL, GERARD - HNRCA
item DAWSON-HUGES, BESS - HNRCA

Submitted to: Journal of Bone and Mineral Research
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/1/2003
Publication Date: 9/1/2003
Citation: WHITE, J., HARRIS, S.S., DALLAL, G.E., DAWSON-HUGES, B. PRECISION OF SINGLE VERSUS BILATERAL HIP BONE MINERAL DENSITY SCANS. JOURNAL OF BONE AND MINERAL RESEARCH. 2003;18(suppl. 2):S314.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) is a precise, fast, and noninvasive method to measure bone mineral density (BMD) and body composition. Software that integrates the results of bilateral DXA hip scans has recently become available. The present study was undertaken to determine and compare the precision of single (left) and bilateral hip BMD measurements and to assess the precision of spine and total body measurements made with a GE-Lunar Prodigy scanner. Six healthy, white postmenopausal women had DXA scans of the femoral neck (left and right), lumbar spine (L2-L4), and total body performed six times each on the same day with repositioning after each scan. Precision was better for the bilateral than for the single hip scans. Specifically, mean % coefficient of variation (%CV) in BMD for single and bilateral hip scans respectively were: 0.70% and 0.57% for the total hip (P=0.028), 1.37% and 0.88% for the trochanter (P=0.028), and 1.38% and 1.00% for the femoral neck (P=0.075). For both single and bilateral hip scans, mean %CV at the total hip was lower than that at the femoral neck and trochanter. Mean %CV was 0.99% for spine BMD (L2-L4), 0.65% for total body BMD, 1.04% for total body bone mineral content, 1.14% for total body fat tissue and 0.74% for total body nonfat soft tissue. In conclusion, precision of DXA hip BMD measurements is improved with bilateral hip scans compared with traditional single hip scans.