Osteonecrosis of the femoral head in an 8-year old boy: Appraisal of evolution by DXA

Abstract

Assessment of skeletal status and bone mineral density (BMD) in the pediatric population requires knowledge of the child's overall health, clinical history of chronic illness and/or risk factors for osteoporosis, and atraumatic fractures. Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA ) is the gold standard for the assessment of bone health, in children and adolescents. The interpreting physician needs to acknowledge that diagnosis of low BMD in growing subjects should include in addition to densitometric measurements, the synchronous assessment of the DXA-generated image for collateral findings that may cause erroneous evaluation of bone mass and improper management.