Quantitative Bone Analysis in Children: Current Methods and Recommendations

Over the past decade there have been an increasing number of published manuscripts dealing with pediatric bone mineral density (BMD). The reason for this interest is 2-fold. First, there is a belief that bone gained early in life is an important factor in determining the risk of osteoporosis later in life. Second, there is a desire to identify children who may benefit from drugs that are becoming available for use in treating osteopenia and osteoporosis. Despite the interest, there are several important issues with assessing BMD or the amount of bone (bone mineral content [BMC] or bone mass) that are unique to children that need to be recognized and are discussed in this review. Dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) is the most common method for assessing BMD and BMC, but other methods, including peripheral quantitative computed tomography (pQCT) and quantitative ultrasonography (QUS), may provide important additional information on bone size, geometry, and quality, and these methods also are discussed.

BMAD, Bone mineral apparent density, BMC, Bone mineral content, BMD, Bone mineral density, DXA, Dual energy x-ray absorptiometry, QCT, Quantitative computed tomography, QUS, Quantitative ultrasonography