title: Postmenopausal women with colles' fracture have lower values of bone mineral density than controls as measured by quantitative ultrasound and densitometry.
abstract: Measurement of ultrasonographic parameters provides information concerning not only bone density but also bone architecture. We investigated the usefulness of ultrasonographic parameters and bone mineral density (BMD) to evaluate the probability of Colles' fracture. Two-hundred eighty-nine postmenopausal women (62.3 +/- 8.7 yr) with (n = 76) and without (n = 213) Colles' fracture were studied. BMD of lumbar spine and proximal femur was evaluated in all women by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and speed of sound (SOS), broadband ultrasound attenuation (BUA), and stiffness in the calcaneus were measured by a Sahara ultrasonometer (Hologic). Patients suffering from Colles' fracture had lower values of BMD adjusted by height at the lumbar spine, L2-L4 (0.797 g/cm2 vs 0.860 g/cm2), femoral neck (0.685 g/cm2 vs 0.712 g/cm2 ), SOS (1518 m/sg vs 1525 m/sg), and stiffness (74.6 vs 77.7) (p < 0.05). Nevertheless, BUA values were similar in both groups. After stepwise logistic regression analysis, the area found under receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves was 0.60 for L2L4 and 0.63 for a formula combining L2L4 and height. Our data suggest that patients suffering from Colles' fracture have lower values of BMD by DXA, SOS, and stiffness. However, the ability of these techniques to discriminate is low because the values for the area under ROC curve are 0.60 for L2-L4 and 0.63 for a formula derived of the combination of L2-L4 and height.
authors.affiliation: University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Hospital University Insular, Bone Metabolic Unit, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, Spain. manuelsosah@canariastelecom.com
authors.forename: Manuel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sosa
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Saavedra
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: del Pino-Montes
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Alegre
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Pérez-Cano
authors.forename: G Martínez Díaz
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Guerra
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Díaz-Curiel
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Valero
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Muñoz-Torres
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Torrijos
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mosquera
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gómez-Alonso
mesh_terms: D015502:Absorptiometry, Photon; D015519:Bone Density; D003100:Colles' Fracture / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008159:Lumbar Vertebrae / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D008875:Middle Aged; D015663:Osteoporosis, Postmenopausal / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D012372:ROC Curve; D011884:Radius / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000293:injuries; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014463:Ultrasonography