The long-term follow-up of 195 patients with renal failure: a preliminary report.

Radiographic and bone mineral (BM) data were collected over a three-year period on 195 patients with chronic renal failure. Most women maintained BM on dyalysis, whereas 44% of the men lost BM (p less than 0.05). Following transplantation, 86% of the patients either maintained or restored BM. After parathyroidectomy, only half of the women and 34% of the men gained BM. Normal radiographs may be associated with low BM values, but there is a correlation between decreasing BM and increasing renal osteodystrophy in women (p less than 0.05).