Osteodensitometry and osteoporosis. Current concepts and strategies for the future

The osteoporosis is a disease of universal distribution that affects millions of adults in the whole world, producing a high number of fractures, due to insufficiency that generates a significant morbidity and mortality. This condition is especially frequent in post menopause women. Some concepts about the bone structure, and the principal characteristics of the different methods to quantify the bone mass (conventional radiology, radiogrametry, photo densitometry, single photon absorbitometry, dual photon absorbitometry are reviewed. Finally, the advantages, disadvantages, levels of sensibility, precision, of the different techniques are established. An emphasis is made on the special capacity of the quantitative computed axial tomography to detect as a selective way the alterations of the spongiest bone