OBJECTIVE. International studies have pointed out quantitative ultrasound as an important method to assess bone fragility and risk of fracture. This study was performed to compare quantitative ultrasound (QUS) in two groups of Brazilian women, those with a fracture and those with no previous history of fracture. The aim was to assess whether there was any difference between the right and the left foot s and whether two sequential measurements in each foot were statistically equivalent... METHODS: A total of 52 women, 26 with and 26 with no fractures, matched by age (± 2 years), years since menopause (± 2 years), and body mass index (kg/m 2) (± 2) were evaluated. RESULTS: Results were compared by the Student's t test for matched samples. Values (mean ± SD) for the stiffness index (SI) were 54.9 (± 16.6) and 80.4 (± 17.3), and for the T Score were -2.9 (± 0.94) and -1.3 (± 0.95) for the groups with and with no fractures, respectively. The first and second measurements of the SI for the right foot and the mean measurement of each foot were found similar when compared. There was a statistical significance (p < 0.01). CONCLUSION: The QUS was shown to distinguish between women with and with no fractures. Also, no differences were observed in the QUS of the left or right foot as well as in the first or second measurements of each foot in the women under study.533229233Prophylaxis and treatment of osteoporosis (1993) Am J Med, 94, pp. 646-650. , Consensus Development ConferenceBabbitt, A.M., When the fracture care is not enough (1994) Osteporos Orthop, 17, pp. 935-941Ray NF, Chan JK, Thamer M, Meltron LJ 3rd. Medical expenditures for the treatment of osteoporotics fractures in the United States in 1997. Report of the National Osteoporosis Foundation. J Bone Miner Res. 1997;12:24-35Brasil, da Saúde, M., Campanha Nacional de Prevenção da Osteoporose (2001) Brasília (DF)Baran, D., Quantitative ultrasound: A technique to target women with low bone mass for preventive therapy (1995) Am J Med, 98, pp. 48S-51STosi, L., Lane, J.M., Osteoporosis prevention and orthopaedic surgeon. When fracture care is not enough (1998) J Bone Joint Surg, 11, pp. 1567-1569Stewart, A., Reid, D.M., Quantitative ultrasound or clinical risk factors - which best identifies women at risk of osteoporosis? (2000) Br J Radiol, 73, pp. 165-171Rozemberg, S., Vandromme, J., Kroll, M., Twagirayezu, P., Vyankandondera, J., Claus, K., The brittle bone: How to save women from osteoporosis (1997) Int J. Fertil, 42, pp. 101-106Phillipov, G., Holsman, M., Phillips, J., The clinical role of quantitative ultrasound in assessing fracture risk and bone status (2000) Med J Aust, 173, pp. 208-211National Guidelines Clearinghouse. American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists medical guidelines for clinical practice for prevention and treatment of post menopause osteoporosis, 2001-2003 [cited 2006 mar 16]. Avaliable from: http://www.guidelines.gov/summary/summary.aspx?doc_id= 4157&nbr=003185&string=osteoporosis+AND+endocrinologyRinga, V., Duriex, P., Breart, G., Bone mass measurements around menopause and prevention of osteoporotic fractures (1994) Eur J Obstet Gynecol Reprod Biol, 54, pp. 205-213Consenso Brasileiro de Osteoporose (2002) Brasília (DF), , Conselho Federal de Medicina, 14pRoux, C., Dougados, M., Quantitative ultrasound in postmenopausal osteoporosis (2000) Curr Opin Rheumatol, 12, pp. 336-345Cheng, S., Tylavsky, F., Carbone, L., Utility of ultrasound to assess risk of fracture (1997) J Am Geriatr Soc, 45, pp. 1382-1394Magaro, M., Zoli, A., Caricchio, R., Angelosante, S., Mirone, L., Altomonte, L., Ultrassonografia quantitative nello studio dell' osteoporosi postmenopausale. Confronto com L'assorbimetria a raggi X a doppia energia (1995) Ann Ital Med Int, 10, pp. 218-221(1994) Assessment of fracture risk and its application to screening for postmenopausal osteoporosis, , World Health Organization, Genova: WHO;Recker, R.R., Architecture and vertebral fracture (1993) Calcif Tissue Int, 53, pp. 139S-142SKulak, C.A., Bilazikian, J.P., Bone mass measurement in identification of women at risk for osteoporosis (1999) Int J Fertil, 44, pp. 269-278Gambacciani, M., Ciaponi, M., Postmenopausal osteoporosis management (2000) Curr Opin Obstet Gynecol, 12, pp. 189-197Delmas, P.D., How should the risk of fracture in postmenopausal women be assessed? (1999) Osteoporos Int, 2, pp. S33-SS9Pinheiro, M.M., Castro, C.M., Szejnfeld, V.L., Low femoral bone mineral density and quantitative ultrasound are risk factors for new osteoporotic fracture and total and cardiovascular mortality: A 5-year population-based study of Brazilian elderly women (2006) J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci, 61, pp. 196-203Meszaros, S., Toth, E., Ferencz, V., Csupor, E., Hosszu, E., Horvath, C., Calcaneous quantitative ultrasound measurements predicts vertebral fractures in idiopathic male osteoporosis (2007) Joint Bone Spine, 74, pp. 79-84