Biomedical subjects

R W Barth

Publications and source records attributed to R W Barth.

2 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1992

Osteon morphometry in females with femoral neck fractures.

The authors measured osteon dimensions and number in specimens of cortical bone obtained from the medial femoral neck (calcar) from nine female patients treated with hemiarthroplasty for femoral neck fractures, and from 12 (seven women, five men) age-matched cadavers without fractures. Specimens from the same location in 14 (seven women, seven men) younger patients treated with total hip arthroplasty (THA) for osteoarthrosis were also studied. There were fewer osteons per unit area and the osteons and their Haversian canals were bigger in the fracture group than in the nonfracture or osteoarthritic groups. Patients with femoral neck fractures also exhibited a decreased Singh index and an increased intracortical porosity compared with age-matched normal controls. By contrast, the osteoarthritic group showed no difference in osteon or Haversian dimensions, osteon number per unit area, Singh index, or in porosity compared with the nonfracture group. These morphometric differences found in the cortical bone of the medial femoral neck may play a role in the incidence of fractures.

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PubMed1988

Osteoporosis.

Osteoporosis is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in the elderly. As the population in the United States becomes more aged, the magnitude of this problem will certainly become greater. Significant progress has been made in recent years with regard to the diagnosis and treatment of osteoporotic bone disease. Future treatment possibilities being investigated include cyclical coherence programs and cyclical parathyroid hormone administration. While showing some initial promise, these new modalities have been used only in a limited number of patients and must be considered highly experimental. Despite the progress being made in the treatment of osteoporosis, hope for the future clearly rests with prevention. Arresting bone loss has proven to be much more effective than rebuilding a depleted skeleton. Advances must be made in determining the pathogenesis of osteoporosis with the goal of identifying those individuals at highest risk at a young age, when skeletal mass is still increasing. Intervention could then be aimed at maximizing the peak bone density through a combination of proper nutrition, exercise, and lifestyle changes. Clearly, there is much more to learn about this very common and debilitating disease.

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