Is a change from 0.782 to 0.770 g/cm² significant if LSC = 0.031 g/cm²?

• A. Yes, it is significant
• B. No, it is not significant
• C. It cannot be determined
• D. It is significant if the change is more than 0.01 g/cm²

Answer: (B)

To assess whether a change from 0.782 to 0.770 g/cm² is significant when the least significant change (LSC) is 0.031 g/cm², one must consider the magnitude of the change in relation to the LSC.

The difference between the two values is 0.782 - 0.770 = 0.012 g/cm². Since this change (0.012 g/cm²) is less than the LSC of 0.031 g/cm², it indicates that this change falls within the range of what could be attributed to measurement variability or error rather than a true physiological change.

In bone densitometry, the LSC is used to define the threshold at which a change in bone mineral density measurement is considered statistically significant. If changes in measurements are less than the established LSC, they cannot be conclusively deemed significant. Therefore, a decrease of 0.012 g/cm² does not exceed the LSC, suggesting that it is not clinically meaningful and supports the notion that the measurement could be within normal variation or error margins.

Thus, this falls under the conclusion that the change from 0.782 to 0.770 g/cm² is not significant