RESUMO
Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry was used to examine 20 patients with obstructive jaundice, who had undergone external biliary drainage in the first surgical stage. A clinical comparison group comprised 34 patients without hepatobiliary diseases. Bone mineral density was measured in the lumbar spine, proximal femur, and ultradistal antibrachium. Impaired biliation was found to result in bone loss in the early-stage of the disease, which was more marked in the spongy bone. This allows the ultradistal antibrachium to be identified as a main observation area for dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry to make an early diagnosis of mineralization disorders. The integrated T index (Tint) calculated on the basis of the X-ray densitometry of a few skeletal portions may be used to obtain generalized information on bone mineral density.
