title: Right and left proximal femur analyses: is there a need to do both?
abstract: The purpose of this study was to determine if differences existed between right and left proximal femur bone mineral density (BMD) in a group of women. Participants for the study were 198 women ranging in age from 16 to 73 years. Bone mineral densities of both proximal femurs (femoral neck, Ward's area, and trochanter) were assessed using dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (Lunar DPX). Mean (+/-SD) age, height, and weight of the participants were 32.9 +/- 18 years, 164 +/- 7.4 cm, and 64.9 +/- 12.1 kg, respectively. Significant differences between right and left femoral BMDs were found only in the trochanter. Overall, mean differences in BMD were low (neck = 0. 7%, Ward's = 0.2%, and trochanter = 1.9%) but individual variations were as high as 22%. Based on BMD z-scores of <-1.0, 84 women were classified as "at risk" for osteoporosis. When right and left z-scores were compared, misclassifications of at risk women were 4, 15, and 11 for neck, Ward's area, and trochanter, respectively. In conclusion, analyses of both right and left proximal femurs may not be necessary for either the researcher or the clinician.
authors.affiliation: Center for Research on Women's Health, Texas Woman's University P.O. Box 23717, Denton, Texas 76204, USA.
authors.forename: S L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Bonnick
authors.forename: D L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Nichols
authors.forename: C F
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Sanborn
authors.forename: S G
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Payne
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Moen
authors.forename: C J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Heiss
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015519:Bone Density / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D005269:Femur / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests