Introduction to Bone Densitometry

What is Osteoporosis?

Osteoporosis is a condition that mostly affects post-menopausal women. Osteoporosis is called the "silent disease" because people can have it without any signs or symptoms.  It involves a gradual loss of calcium and a thinning and weakening of bone structure that can lead to an increased risk of fracture.

Men are also affected by this disease, however, more women suffer from bone fractures caused by osteoporosis.  According to the National Osteoporosis Foundation, up to half of women over the age of 50 will break a bone due to osteoporosis.  Fortunately, osteoporosis can be detected early and treated. 

About Bone Density Tests

You can find out whether you have osteoporosis or if you should be concerned about your bone structure by getting a test that uses a special machine to measure bone mineral density.  Ultrasound Associates offers the most current bone density scanning (DEXA) technology.  Also called bone densitometry, this is an enhanced form of x-ray technology used to detect signs of osteoporosis. DEXA is today's established standard for measuring bone mineral density (BMD). 

Ultrasound Associates uses Hologic’s Discovery Dual-Energy X-Ray Absorptiometry  (DEXA) system.  Hologic Bone Densitometers are the preferred systems in 9 out of 10 clinical and pharmaceutical trials.

FRAX is a tool that was developed by the World Health Organization to assess fracture risk. FRAX integrates clinical risk factors and bone mineral density at the femoral neck to calculate a ten-year to calculate fracture probability for men and women. The FRAX calculator offers specifics about what it’s looking for in the questions related to glucocorticoids, rheumatoid arthritis, secondary osteoporosis, and alcohol use. The FRAX calculator determines the ten-year fracture probability for an individual patient. By doing so, the calculator is essentially finding patients who need intervention or treatment to lower the probability.

What to Expect During a Bone Density Exam

A bone density exam lasts about fifteen minutes, is safe, non-invasive, and painless. A DEXA scan detects low bone density and diagnoses osteoporosis using very low levels of dual source radiation. You will be asked to lie on your back on a padded table. The imaging machine passes over you and sends the image to a nearby computer. The information is processed by the computer and interpreted by the radiologist. The results are based on an international scoring system. A final report will be sent to your physician within 24 hours.

Online Bone Densitometry Resources

www.nof.org
The National Osteoporosis Foundation’s web site is an excellent source of information about your risk factors and early diagnosis of this disease.