Densitometría bifotónica en recién nacidos de término / Dual photon absorptiometry in term newborns

ABSTRACT

Background: There is scanty information about bone mineral density in newborns. Normal values are needed to assess the effects of diseases and drugs used during the neonatal period. Aim: To assess bone mineral density in normal newborns. Patients and methods: Total body bone mineral density was measured in 16 newborns with 39 ñ 1.2 weeks of gestational age, using a Norland dual photon densitometer. Results: The mean weight of newborns was 3.366 ñ 325 g. Bone mineral content was 58.3 ñ 10.8 g and bone mineral density was 0.369 ñ 9.6 g/cm2. Results: The availability of normal bone mineral content values in newborns will be useful for the assessment of conditions that affect bone mineralisation