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Computer Aided Detection (CAD) |
Osteoporosis is a condition which is a wide-spread and of great concern due to its devastating effects. In addition to exercise, there are now pharmacologic agents which can be used to treat this condition and reduce the risk of fracture. Unfortunately, many patients who are at risk for complications of osteoporosis go undiagnosed. Bone density scanning is a simple and pain free way to assess bone mineral density, risk for fracture and response to treatment. To measure bone mineral density, a DEXA scanner is used at the Women’s Imaging Center. This stands for Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry. Two x-ray beams are passed through a bone being evaluated, with a computer then determining the bone mineral density. This value is then compared to a known young adult reference standard to assess the degree of bone loss. Values less than one standard deviation below this mean are considered normal. Values between 1 – 2.5 standard deviations below this standard represent osteopenia. Measurements greater than 2.5 standard deviations below the standard reference are considered osteoporosis. |
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Bone Density Measurements/DEXA