Digital radiogrammetry of the hand in a pediatric and adolescent Dutch Caucasian population: normative data and measurements in children with inflammatory bowel disease and juvenile chronic arthritis.

We have evaluated the applicability of a new Digital X-ray Radiogrammetry (DXR) system in a Dutch Caucasian pediatric population. For this study we enrolled 535 healthy participants who all signed an informed consent form. In addition, 20 children suffering from inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and juvenile chronic arthritis (JCA) were enrolled. Radiographs of the left hand were obtained from all participants. From the healthy population a subset of children with a history of forearm fractures were separately analyzed. Measurements consisted of DXR (X-posure; Pronosco-Sectra, Linköping, Sweden). Five hundred thirty-five subjects were enrolled in the study. Twenty-two subjects (4.3%) were discontinued (age 3-10 years), all because of a nonrecognizable radiograph by the DXR system. The short-term coefficient of variation of DXR in this population was 0.59%. Significant differences in DXR-BMD between boys and girls for the ages of 11, 12, 16, 17, and 18 years were found. There were also significant differences in DXR-BMD between the sequential Tanner stages. For 88 subjects repeat radiographs were available (mean interval 1.8 years). In all cases an increase in DXR-BMD was seen. Girls with IBD, JCA, or a history of forearm fractures and boys with IBD showed a significantly lower DXR-BMD compared with healthy controls. We show that DXR is an applicable technique in children. Also, in a small subpopulation it is possible to discriminate children with a high risk of low BMD.