A correlative assessment of photon interaction and histomorphometric measurements of bone density.

Thirty-four femoral necks from human cadavers were measured by techniques assessing bone density and bone mineral density, and by the Singh index. These methods are based on photon interaction with biological components and can be applied noninvasively for clinical evaluation of changes in skeletal status. Trabecular bone volume, mineralized bone volume, and relative osteoid volume were evaluated histomorphometrically using undecalcified histologic sections obtained from the same samples. The trabecular and mineralized bone volumes showed significant correlations with the bone density and mineral density. These results enhance the validity of recently developed photon-interaction techniques for evaluating bone properties.