II. Quantitative Measurement of Bone Mineral Content in Normal Adult Bone

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Abstract
The most important feature of these results is the wide range of individual variation shown. The bone mineral content measured at a particular point appears to be a basic individual characteristic, depending on cortical thickness, trabecular pattern and on the shape and size of the bone. It is not greatly influenced by other factors. The range of individual variation shown by these quantitative measurements is similar to that found in the measurements of cortical thickness made by Barnett and Nordin (1960). The bone trabecular pattern is a highly individual characteristic and has considerable influence on the bone mineral content. It is interesting to note that Barnhard and Geyer (1960) found in their studies of bone growth that the trabeculae follow a pre-arranged pathway rather than react to change imposed by stress or alteration in form. It is impossible to define normality of bone mineral content within close limits for a particular individual. Therefore, it a person whose bone mineral content was originally high suffers from some disease in which the bone mineral content is reduced, he or she could lose a relatively large amount and still fall within the normal range. The value of quantitative measurements of mineral content in the diagnosis of osteoporosis is limited by these considerations. This applies equally to all methods of estimating skeletal mineralisation, including those in which comparison is made with a dry bone buried in soft tissue equivalent material. However, it is unlikely that skeletal mineralisation is normal if the bone mineral concentration is below 110 mg/cm3 in the calcaneum and below 200 mg/cm3 at a point 2 cm from the lower end of the ulna, though values at or just below these levels may represent either minor or marked deviations from normal in a particular individual. These limitations do not apply to the use of the quantitative method for measuring changes in mineralisation with time in the same individual.

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