The Difference of Bone Mineral Density of Lumbar Spine and Wrist in the Preterm and Full-term Infants: Using Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry

PURPOSE: To assess the differences in bone mineral density (BMD) of lumbar spine and wrist between preterm infants of postconceptional age 40 weeks and normal full-term infants. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sixty-eight preterm infants born at conceptional age 26 -36 weeks and 31 normal full-term infants born at 38 -42 weeks were investigated. Bone mineral densities of the lumbar spine (from the second to the fourth segment) and wrist were measured by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry. In preterm infants, the corrected age of 0 month was defined as postconceptional 40 weeks. Full-term infants were evaluated within three days of birth, and the average bone mineral densities of preterm and full-term infants were compared. In the preterm group, birth weight and conceptional age were correlated with lumbar spinal and wrist bone mineral densities. Data were analyzed by student's t-test and Pearson's correlation coefficient, and a pvalue of less than 0.05 was considered significant. RESULTS: In preterm in fants, the values of bone mineral densities of the lumbar spine and wrist were 0.137 +/- 0.018 g/cm2(0.061 -0.202 g/cm2) and 0.089 +/-0.013 g/cm2 (0.065 -0.123 g/cm2), respectively, while the respective values for full-term infants were 0.214 +/-0.030 g/cm2 (0.160 -0.296 g/cm2) and 0.118 +/-0.014 g/cm2(0.096 -0.162 g/cm 2). In the preterm group, lumbar spinal BMD correlated significantly with conceptional age(r=0.384, p0.05). CONCLUSION: The lumbar spinal and wrist BMDs of preterm infants at corrected age 0 were lower than those of normal full-term infants. In the preterm group, BMD values for the lumbar spine were lower in infants of lower conceptional age and birth weight.

Brain MR Imagings Finding in Patients with Central Vertigo

PURPOSE: To investigate brain lesions and their locations in patients with central vertigo, as seen on MRimaging. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed MR images of 85 patients with central type vertigodiagnosed on the basis of clinical symptoms and vestibular function test (VFT), and analyzed lesions and theirlocations. Those located along the known central vestibular pathway were included in our study. RESULTS: In 29 of85 patients (34%), lesions considered to be associated with central vertigo were detected on MR imaging. Theseincluded infarction (18 patients), hemorrhage (5), tumor (2), cavernous angioma(1), cerebellopontine anglecyst(1), tuberous sclerosis(1) and olivopontocerebellar atrophy(1) ; they were located in the parietal lobe(6patients), the lateral medulla(5), the pons(5), the middle cerebellar peduncle(4), the corona radiata(3), and thecerebellar vermis(3). Thirty-eight cases showed high signal intensity lesions in deep cerebral matter, the basalganglia, and pons but these were considered to be unrelated to central vertigo. CONCLUSIONS: MR imaging could bea useful tool for the evaluation of patients with central vertigo.