Jc. Renier et al., A NEW ANATOMIC INDEX BASED ON CURRENT KNO WLEDGE FOR CALCULATING THE CUMULATIVE PERCENTAGE OF PAGETIC BONE PER SUBJECT AND OTHER PARAMETERS, Revue du rhumatisme, 62(5), 1995, pp. 373-377
New data provided by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, together with d
iscordances between Howarth's and Coutris' tables for estimating the p
ercentage of bone tissue affected with Paget's disease in a given indi
vidual, prompted us to reevaluate the percentage of bone tissue contai
ned in each segment of the skeleton. We weighed each bone in the skele
ton of a 30-year-old male, calculated weight ratios from a collection
of 48 bones, performed dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry measurements i
n 22 patients using a Hologic QDR 2000 apparatus and obtained informat
ion from a company that supplies medical schools with human skeletons.
We used these data to develop a new anatomic index. The percentage of
bone tissue in the skull was 17 in males and 21 in females versus onl
y 11 in Howarth's table; differences were also found at other sites, i
ncluding the spine (8.5% versus 11%), the femur (9.5% versus 8%), the
sacrum (2% versus 3%) and the ribs (5% versus 9%). Our index is useful
for calculating the percentage of pagetized bone (i.e., bone in which
pagetic lesions develop during follow-up) but underestimates the tota
l percentage of pagetic bone because of the increase in bone mass asso
ciated with Paget's disease.