PRIMATE SCIENCE RESEARCH HIGHLIGHT
June 18, 1999
"Improved osteoporosis diagnosis?"
(Courtesy Wisconsin Regional Primate Research Center)

Osteoporosis is diagnosed by detection of low bone mass using a low-dose
X-ray technique.  However, in people with spinal arthritis, this
methodology often yields falsely elevated readings. Researchers at the
University of Wisconsin-Madison may have developed a technique to avoid
these false readings by improved analysis of standard measurements.

Neil Binkley, M.D., and colleagues at the UW-Madison Institute on Aging
recently used this technique, called central region of interest (CROI)
analysis, on adult female rhesus monkeys from the Wisconsin Regional
Primate Research Center.

The new technique identified 25 percent more old monkeys as having low
bone mass. These animals would have been incorrectly classified as normal
using the standard technique. These researchers are now evaluating this
technique in humans to determine whether it can improve osteoporosis
diagnosis and treatment.

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Reference:

Krueger D., H. Todd, A. Haffa, J. Bruner, D. Yandow, and N. Binkley. 1999.
Central region-of-interest analysis of lumbar spine densitometry
demonstrates lower bone mass in older rhesus monkeys. Bone.
Jan;24(1):29-33.


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Primate-Science Research Highlights appears every other week and focuses
broadly on research involving non-human primates. Coverage includes
biomedicine, behavior, conservation and veterinary science. Please
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supported by a grant from the National Institutes of Health,
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