ABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To evaluate the effects of alendronate on the structural properties of trabecular bone.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Alendronate was administered at a daily p.o. dose of 0.5 mg/kg over a 12-week period in hound dogs (n = 8 for both the control and treated group), and the structural indices of the lumbar vertebral (L1 and L2) trabecular bone were assessed directly from 3-D images.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Treatment with alendronate increased bone volume fraction by 9.5% and 7.7% in L1 and L2 respectively. Trabecular thickness significantly increased after alendronate treatment, whereas trabecular separation remained constant. The degree of anisotropy for the alendronate-treated group was decreased compared with that of the control group. Bone surface to volume ratio declined significantly in the alendronate-treated group, whereas alendronate induced a higher bone surface density.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Alendronate increased the structural properties of canine trabecular bone after short-term treatment at a dose of 0.5 mg x k(-1) x day(-1).</p>