Tetracycline double-labelling in post-traumatic osteopenia in man.

Biopsy specimens were taken from parts of earlier fractured bones in seven patients with post-traumatic osteopenia and one healthy volunteer, who were all administered a double dose of tetracycline for the purpose of prelabelling. In the volunteer, specimens were taken from both the proximal tibia epiphysis and the iliac crest. The fraction of labelled surfaces and the rate of apposition were calculated. The results were also compared with normative data from the iliac crest. At least in the first year after fracture, post-traumatic osteopenia appears to be a condition with an increased appositional activity.