Measurements and evaluation of proximal femoral bone mineral density with dual energy X-ray absorptiometry.

Proximal femoral bone mineral density (BMD) can be measured by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry method in the neck, trochanter, intertrochanter, total and Ward's triangle area. Ward's triangle area of the proximal femur is a smaller area to measure than the others, and the position varies, depending on the status of inner rotation of the target leg. In this study, the measurements of the proximal femoral BMD in women were carried out on the neck, trochanter, intertrochanter, total and Ward's triangle area with the, subjects' legs turned 15 degrees toward the inside. The Ward's BMD were measured using Ward's cognitive method, in which the measured BMD were compared among age groups of 50-59, 60-69, 70-79 and 80-89 to determine whether this process could reveal decreased femoral BMD in elderly women. The correlation between BMD and age was tested using the Pearson correlation coefficient. In all measured parts, the BMD of women age 50-59 were significantly higher than those of women age 80-89. The correlations between BMD and age were negative in all measured parts, and the most negative correlation was between age and Ward's BMD. The study using Ward's cognitive method showed an inverse correlation between Ward's BMD and age in women.