SHORT REPORT Exploring radiogrammetry beyond the second metacarpal: Using the third, fourth, and fifth metacarpals to quantify cortical bone Maris A. Schneider 1,2 | Rebecca J. Gilmour 1 1 Department of Sociology & Anthropology, Mount Royal University, Calgary, Alberta, Canada 2 Department of Anthropology, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada Correspondence Rebecca J. Gilmour, Department of Sociology & Anthropology, Mount Royal University, Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Email: rgilmour@mtroyal.ca Abstract Objective: Traditional metacarpal radiogrammetry, a method for quantifying cortical bone in metacarpals to identify bone loss, typically relies on the pres- ence of an unaltered or undamaged second metacarpal. This study compares the cortical indices of the second to the third, fourth, and fifth metacarpals to test if an additional metacarpal can be used as substitute when the second metacarpal is not available for study. Methods: Hand and wrist radiographs from the Burlington Growth Study, belonging to 56 individuals (28 females; 28 males) between 18 and 20 years old, were included in this study. Cortical indices were calculated for metacar- pals two through five. Cortical index differences were statistically compared by sex, and the second metacarpal cortical indices were correlated with those of the third, fourth, and fifth metacarpals. Results: The third, fourth, and fifth metacarpal cortical indices were all signif- icantly correlated with the second metacarpal cortical indices for both females and males (p< .05). Cortical indices of the second metacarpal were most strongly correlated with those of the third metacarpal (females r = .644, p< .001; males r = .643, p<.001). Conclusion: The results of this study indicate that the third, fourth, or fifth metacarpal may serve as substitutes for cortical index analyses when the sec- ond metacarpal is unavailable or unsuitable for analysis. While the second metacarpal should remain the primary choice in radiogrammetry analyses, the third metacarpal is the most suitable alternative for quantitative analyses of cortical bone. 1 | INTRODUCTION Metacarpal radiogrammetry is a method for quantifying cortical bone in the hand that has been used by clinicians and biological anthropologists to identify bone loss asso- ciated with osteopenia and osteoporosis (Ives & Brickley, 2004; Meema & Meema, 1987; Nielsen, 2001). Metacarpal radiogrammetry was originally developed as a clinical tool to detect cortical bone loss and predict frac- ture risks, specifically in post-menopausal women (Meema & Meema, 1987). This method has since been employed in a wide range of clinical applications, ranging from age-related bone loss studies (Maggio et al., 1997), to fracture risk assessments in men, children, and adoles- cents (Wilczek et al., 2013), and has even been used to illuminate bone loss related to conditions such as Received: 27 July 2022 Revised: 29 September 2022 Accepted: 23 October 2022 DOI: 10.1002/ajhb.23831 Am J Hum Biol. 2022;e23831. wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/ajhb © 2022 Wiley Periodicals LLC. 1 of 6 https://doi.org/10.1002/ajhb.23831 15206300, 0, Downloaded from https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ajhb.23831 by Western University, Wiley Online Library on [08/11/2022]. See the Terms and Conditions (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/terms-and-conditions) on Wiley Online Library for rules of use; OA articles are governed by the applicable Creative Commons License