Normal DXA bone mineral density but frail cortical bone in Turner's syndrome

Summary Context Patients with Turner's syndrome have normal bone mineral density by dual energy X‐ray absorptiometry (DXA), but a predisposition for fractures. Quantitative ultrasonography (QUS) measures cortical bone strength. Objective To compare QUS with DXA in patients with Turner's syndrome. Patients and methods Twenty‐seven Turner's syndrome patients, aged 21·1 ± 6·3 years (mean ± SD), were evaluated by DXA, measuring two‐dimensional bone mineral density (BMD), and QUS, measuring speed of sound (SOS) of the radius and tibia. The results were compared to sex‐ and age‐matched (Ctr A, n = 53) and height‐matched (Ctr B, n = 34) control groups. Results Fracture incidence per 1000 women years was 4·76 in Ctr A, 5 in Ctr B and 7·69 in Turner's patients. In Turner's syndrome patients, QUS results were significantly lower than in controls, whereas DXA Z‐scores were not different from reference values. Correlation between tibia and radius SOS and height and age in controls (P