[Photodensitometry].

Photodensitometry was developed by several investigators. This technique makes possible bone mass measurements from radiographs of the peripheral skeleton, most commonly the metacarpal and phalangeal bones. More recently, with the advent of computerized image processing, photodensitometry has become more precise and gained new respect for use in the diagnosis of osteoporosis. In addition, recent studies in which radiographic absorptiometry was used have demonstrated that the detection of accelerated bone loss in the early menopause with this technique is comparable to other densitometry techniques. Being cost effective, easy to perform, and universally available, all makes photodensitometry an increasing attractive option for non invasive bone assessment in both research and clinical practice.