Determination of Bone Mineral Content in Cadaveric Test Specimens

ABSTRACT: This study was designed to determine  the best method for presenting the bone mineral  content of cadaveric test specimens. A total of 59  bone samples were taken from the humeri, radii,  and ulnae of 14 female cadavers. For each sample,  the bone mineral content was determined with a dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry scanner, and the ash-weight ratio was calculated manually. A linear regression analysis was performed to compare
the ash-weight ratio to the 3 methods for reporting bone mineral content as measured by a –
dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry scanner: by bone mineral content divided by sample length (in glcm), by projected area (in g/cm”, or by sample volume (in g/cm3). The analysis revealed that the ash-weight ratio correlates best with the volumetric representation. Based on these data, a volumetric representation is suggested as the best representation of bone mineralization, due to its correlation with ash-weight ratio.