Introduction. Due to concerns about cumulative radiation exposure in the pediatric population, it is not standard practice to perform dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) analysis in the diagnostic process of musculoskeletal disorders, such as cerebral palsy (CP). This study aimed to evaluate the bone mineral density (BMD) in children with CP and the ethical justification of applying DXA analysis in these children. Material and Methods. In this monocentric retrospective analysis, data were collected from children and adolescents with CP who were treated for a primary illness for three years. A clinical examination, which included a DXA analysis, recommended by the multidisciplinary team, was performed. After applying inclusion and exclusion criteria, 60 scans remained for statistical analysis. BMD and -scores for the lumbar spine (LS), and hip right and left femoral neck (RFN and LFN, respectively), and total hip (TH) were recorded. Results. The average age of children with CP when DXA analysis was first performed was about 7 years. The BMD () at LS (LS-BMD) of all patients was , at RFN , at LFN , and at TH (TH-BMD) . The values of the -score () at LS of all patients were , at RFN , at LFN -2.25 (), and at TH -2.3 (). There was no statistical significance between age and gender; however, BMI, walking ability, fracture history, and pattern of CP had a significant impact on BMD and -score values of these children. Conclusion. The results of our study clearly indicate that children with CP have a higher risk of low BMD, osteoporosis, and bone fractures, which makes it ethically justifiable to perform the DXA analysis in these children.

中文翻译：

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从伦理问题到诊断必要性的脑瘫儿童骨矿物质密度测量

简介。由于担心儿科人群中的累积辐射暴露，在诸如脑瘫 (CP) 等肌肉骨骼疾病的诊断过程中执行双能 X 射线吸收测定 (DXA) 分析并不是标准做法。本研究旨在评估 CP 儿童的骨矿物质密度 (BMD) 以及在这些儿童中应用 DXA 分析的伦理理由。材料与方法. 在这项单中心回顾性分析中，数据来自因原发性疾病接受治疗三年的 CP 儿童和青少年。进行了多学科团队推荐的临床检查，其中包括 DXA 分析。应用纳入和排除标准后，仍有 60 次扫描用于统计分析。记录腰椎 (LS) 和髋关节左右股骨颈 (分别为 RFN 和 LFN) 和全髋关节 (TH) 的BMD 和-分数。结果。首次进行 DXA 分析时，患有 CP 的儿童的平均年龄约为 7 岁。骨密度（)所有患者的 LS (LS-BMD) 为,在 RFN,在 LFN,在 TH (TH-BMD). -分数的值)在所有患者的 LS,在 RFN,在 LFN -2.25 ()，并且在 TH -2.3 (）。年龄和性别之间无统计学意义；然而，BMI、步行能力、骨折史和 CP 模式对这些儿童的 BMD 和-评分值有显着影响结论。我们的研究结果清楚地表明，患有 CP 的儿童发生低 BMD、骨质疏松症和骨折的风险更高，这使得对这些儿童进行 DXA 分析在伦理上是合理的。