Relationship between Local and Total Bone Mineral Content after Gastric Surgery

Abstract

We compared the total body bone mineral mass (TBBM), assessed by the dualphoton technique, with the local bone mineral mass (BMC), measured by single- photon absorptiometry, in 27 ulcus patients treated by either gastric resection or parietal cell vagotomy. Except for raised concentrations of serum alkaline phosphatase in the Billroth I resection group, the biochemical findings and the measurements of bone mass (local and total) were normal. A highly significant correlation between local and total body bone mineral mass was found in both patients (r = 0.84) and controls (r = 0.91). Since the relationship between these two measurements is identical in the patient population and in the age-matched control group, it is concluded that the local BMC may be useful to estimate total bone mass after gastric surgery.

Key words:

• Bone mass
• calcium metabolism
• gastric surgery