Photomicrographs of coronal sections from a point 1 inch behind the anterior spine of the iliac crest in 275 consecutive autopsies were used to prepare a visual 9-point scale for the estimation of osteoporosis.

The asymmetrical frequency distributions suggested that a score of less than 5 on the scale might be regarded as abnormal, i.e. osteoporotic.

The technique was applied to 78 biopsies obtained from patients suspected of osteoporosis, and fairly good agreement found with results of spinal X-rays.