title: Geometry and bone density.
abstract: Bone development is a key process in the growing child. It is, therefore, of paramount importance to survey this process, which is characterized by increasing length and size of the bone together with its progressive mineralization. The bone status can be evaluated by different techniques, each of them having its pros and cons. Furthermore, it should be underlined that the results of bone assessment depend not only from the employed technique but also from the auxological characteristics of the subjects. It is, therefore, the aim of this review to examine the characteristics of the various methods of bone evaluation, such as dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA), peripheral quantitative computed tomography (pQCT), ultrasound and metacarpal index and to explain how changes in bone structure and geometry may influence the results.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Regional Hospital of Bolzano, Bolzano, Italy. giorgio.radetti@asbz.it
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Radetti
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Rigon
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Tonini
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Tatò
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bernasconi
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bona
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bozzola
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Buzi
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: De Sanctis
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: De Sanctis
mesh_terms: D015502:Absorptiometry, Photon; D015519:Bone Density; D001842:Bone and Bones / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D006801:Humans; D008433:Mathematics; D050279:Metacarpal Bones / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D014463:Ultrasonography