Method for evaluating human bone strength

摘要

A method for assessing an individual's risk of bone fracture by evaluating the bone strength of the individual. The steps include: (1) measuring the bone mineral content of an individual's radius or other bone with a cortical wall (such as the femoral neck or the phalanges) by dual energy densitometry, (2) calculating the effective average cortical wall thickness (CWT) and bending breaking resistance indicator (BBRI) of the bone from the bone mineral content and bone width, and (3) using a combination of the CWT and BBRI to estimate the bone strength of the individual. The bone mineral content can also be determined by microdensitometry measurements of an x-ray of the bone of interest. The fracture risk can be presented by assigning color values to different ranges of CWT and BBRI and by using a combination of these color values to indicate bone strength. The values of CWT and BBRI can also be plotted against young normal age-matched normal values as further visual indications of fracture risk.