title: Peripheral quantitative computed tomography (pQCT) is useful for monitoring bone mineral density of the patients who receive hormone replacement therapy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  A forearm fracture (Colles' fracture) is often the first sign of osteoporosis and should alert the patient and physician to the possibility of underlying skeletal fragility. Therefore, the establishment of a more accurate and reliable method for the measurement of bone mineral density (BMD) at the distal radius would be beneficial for the patients who suffer from osteoporosis. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the usefulness of peripheral quantitative computed tomography (pQCT) to assess the change of BMD at the distal radius in early postmenopausal women who receive hormone replacement therapy (HRT).
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty healthy early postmenopausal women who were diagnosed as osteoporosis or osteopenia were randomized to either HRT or placebo treatment. We analyzed BMD of the distal radius by pQCT, lumbar spine by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and the biochemical markers of bone turn over (osteocalcin, deoxypyridinoline) every 6 months.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The placebo group showed a significant decrease from the baseline in the trabecular BMD of the radius at 12 months (7.4+/-2.5%) (p<0.05), whereas the HRT group showed a slight increase (0.7+/-2.2%). The changes in the trabecular BMD of the radius between the HRT and placebo groups were statistically different at 12 months (p<0.05). On the other hand, in the cortical BMD of the radius, no significant differences were seen between the changes of bone densities in the HRT and control groups after 1 year of treatment. pQCT could detect a significant loss of BMD of the radius in early postmenopausal women after 1 year and HRT prevented its loss.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our preliminary clinical trial showed that pQCT might be useful for the early detection of bone loss in early postmenopausal women and for the monitoring BMD of the patients who receive HRT.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, 2-2 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, Japan.
authors.forename: Kenjiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sawada
authors.forename: Ken-Ichirou
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Morishige
authors.forename: Masahide
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ohmichi
authors.forename: Yukihiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Nishio
authors.forename: Toshiya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yamamoto
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hayakawa
authors.forename: Seiji
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mabuchi
authors.forename: Aki
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Isobe
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sasaki
authors.forename: Masahiro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sakata
authors.forename: Keiichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tasaka
authors.forename: Yuji
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Murata
mesh_terms: D015502:Absorptiometry, Photon / Q000379:methods; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015519:Bone Density; D002118:Calcium / Q000008:administration & dosage; D015914:Estrogen Replacement Therapy; D004967:Estrogens / Q000008:administration & dosage; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008159:Lumbar Vertebrae / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D008525:Medroxyprogesterone / Q000008:administration & dosage; D008875:Middle Aged; D015663:Osteoporosis, Postmenopausal / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000517:prevention & control*; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011884:Radius / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D004967:Estrogens; D008525:Medroxyprogesterone; D002118:Calcium