Bone loss following tibial osteotomy: A model for evaluating post-traumatic osteopenia

Abstract

The reduced bone mineral density (BMD) found in patients with fractures may, in part, follow rather than precede the fracture. We studied the magnitude and reversibility of bone loss in the 15 months following osteotomy in 21 men and 5 women with localized medial arthritis of the knee. BMD (mean ± SD), measured using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, decreased by a maximum of 35 ± 21% in the mid-diaphysis of the affected tibia at 9 months after surgery (p < 0.001). At 15 months, reversal of bone loss in nonfractured bones was incomplete; the remaining deficit was 20 ± 27% relative to baseline (p < 0.001). Maximum bone loss occurred at 9 months at the total body (5 ± 2%), spine (15 ± 17%) and..