can different forearm segments be used interchangeably ?
Many different forearm sites have been used for the measurement of bone mineral density (BMD) and prediction of risk of future fracture among community dwelling populations. In populations where bone densitometry of peripheral sites may be the most cost effective and practical means of measuring BMD, such as the nursing home population, knowing the characteristics of forearm BMD measures would be beneficial. The purpose of this study was to assess the relationship of four common commercially available measures to each other and to estimate the inter- and intrarater reliability of the measures in a sample of nursing home residents as a first step toward identifying appropriate forearm measurement sites. These sites were the distal radius, the distal ulna, a composite of the distal radius and distal ulna, and the ultra distal radius. BMD measurements on 48 nursing home patients were obtained using single X-ray absorptiometry. Inter- and intrarater reliability was excellent at all four si
