Bone mineral content and mechanical strength of the femoral neck.
The bone mineral content of the femoral neck of 61 autopsy specimens was assayed by x-ray spectrophotometry. The mechanical strength of the specimens was also determined experimentally by applying a compressive force perpendicularly to the shaft. The ultimate force at fracture was obtained from force/displacement plots. A coefficient of correlation of 0.89 between bone mineral content of the femoral neck and the ultimate force at fracture was found. Even when limited to a group of women aged 67-80 a fairly close correlation was found. This indicates that the bone mineral level, measured in vivo, can be used as a criterion of the risk of fracture in elderly women.
D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D001835:Body Weight; D001842:Bone and Bones / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D005265:Femoral Neck Fractures / Q000503:physiopathology; D005272:Femur Neck / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008903:Minerals / Q000378:metabolism*; D013053:Spectrophotometry; D013718:Tensile Strength
D008903:Minerals