A New Technique for the Measurement of Metacarpal Density

Abstract

Several estimates were made in order to obtain a more accurate estimate of metacarpal mineralisation. These were compared with the “hand score” of Barnett and Nordin, i.e. the ratio of the cortical to the total width. The absorption equivalent in aluminium of the bone was measured using a densitometer, and from this measurement the linear absorption coefficient and a standardised aluminium equivalent were calculated. It was found that the standardised aluminium equivalent was the most reproducible estimate. It is considered to be the best index of mineral content of the metacarpal since it takes into account both the width of the metacarpal and its mineralisation. The method is technically simple.