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It is a non-invasive detection technique through which osteoporosis can be detected early and a course of treatment can be established. The examination measures the amount of bone mineral content in specific areas of your body, including the spine, hip and forearm, and in the total body. Until now, evaluating bone density using conventional x-ray systems did not reveal a potential problem until a patient had lost 25-30 percent of bone density. Now, in just a few minutes, this highly sensitive densitometer helps to identify patients at risk at a much earlier stage. It can also evaluate response to treatment so that we know whether a therapy is effective or if the approach needs to be modified. A radiologist will review the results and assess the risk factors. When the test is repeated over time, they can help your doctor track your rate of bone loss. If your bone density is low, or decreases at an abnormally fast rate, you may be at risk for osteoporosis. Through changes in diet, exercise habits and/or medication, further deterioration of bone can be prevented.
Osteoporosis
Bone is living tissue that is constantly being broken down or reformed. As a person grows, bone forms faster than it breaks down until it reaches a peak bone mass between the ages of 25 or 35. After age 35, both men and women lose bone at a greater rate than it forms. Osteoporosis is a disease that causes bones to gradually become weaker and more brittle, which make them more likely to break. One in three women over the age of 50 have Osteoporosis. Of the 20 million American women that have osteoporosis, only 4 million know it. Annually this disease is responsible for over 1.3 million fractures, of which 250,000 are hip fractures. A hip fracture almost always requires hospitalization and major surgery. Spinal or vertebral fractures also have serious consequences, including loss of height, severe back pain, and deformity. It can limit a person's ability to walk and may cause permanent disability or even death. Although osteoporosis is thought of as a major women's health problem, over five million men are affected by it. One in every 8 men will have an osteoporosis-related fracture.
Osteoporosis is both preventable and treatable but the disease can't be treated unless you know you have it or are at risk for it. A simple bone density test with a bone densitometer will tell you if you are at risk.
When doctors reccommend Bone Densitometry.
Your doctor may recommend a bone density test if you have had a bone fracture, are considering long term estrogen replacement therapy, are taking steriods, have hyperparathyroidism or if you have multiple risk factors such as:
- being female
- small, thin frame
- advanced age
- early menopause
- a family history
- smoking
- anorexia nervosa or bulimia
- lactose intolerance
- low testosterone in men
- frequent alcohol use
- low calcium diet
- limited activity lifestyle
About the procedure...
A bone density test is quick, painless and non-invasive. The entire procedure takes only a few minutes. You will be lying comfortably, fully-clothed on a table while a radiology technician will position you in the bone densitometer. A small dose of radiation (equivalent to 1/20th of dosage received in a normal chest x-ray) is emitted through a beam so focused that the technician can sit right next to the examination table to monitor the procedure on a computer.
There is no special preparation for Bone Densitometry exams.