BONE DENSITOMETRY

BONE DENSITOMETRY
• THE ART AND SCIENCE OF
MEASURING THE BONE MINERAL
CONTENT AND DENSITY OF SPECIFIC
SKELETAL SITES OR THE WHOLE
BODY.
THE MOST VERSATILE AND
WIDELY USED TECHNIQUE

• DUAL X-RAY ABSORPTIOMETRY

DXA
DXA
 DXA ADVANTAGES
• LOW RADIATION DOSE
• WIDE AVAILABILITY
• EASE OF USE
• SHORT SCAN TIME
• HIGH RESOLUTION IMAGES
• GOOD PRECISION
• STABLE CALIBRATION
 DXA
• IS A SUBTRACTION TECHNIQUE-
SOFT TISSUE STRUCTURES ARE
ELIMINATED. X-RAY ATTENUATION
OF THE BONE IS MEASURED. BONE
MINERAL DENSITY IS CALCULATED
(BMD)
BMD
 DXA
• SCANS PROVIDE IMAGES FOR THE
PURPOSE OF CONFIRMING THE CORRECT
POSITIONING OF THE PATIENT AND
CORRECT PLACEMENT OF ROI ( REGION
OF INTEREST)

• IMAGES ARE NOT USED FOR

DIAGNOSIS!!

• THE BONE DENSITY RESULTS ARE

COMPUTED AND PRINTED BY SOFTWARE
DXA COMPUTATIONAL
SOFTWARE
 HISTORY
• OSTEOPOROSIS UNDETECTED AND OVERLOOKED
UNTIL 1920s.
• THE FIRST PUBLICATION ABOUT BONE MASS
APPEARED IN 1930s.
• RA- RADIOGRAPHIC ABSORPTIOMETRY- X-RAY
TAKEN AND COMPARED TO A STANDARD
RADIOGRAPH
• RADIOGAMMETRY – INTRODUCED IN THE 1960s
IN RESPONSE TO THE MEASUREMENT OF A BONE
LOSS IN ASTRONAUTS.
• IN 1970 CT WAS USED THROUGH THE SPECALIZED
SOFTWARE. QUANTITATIVE CT.
• 1970s AND 1980s BROUGHT THE FIRST DEDICATED
SCANNERS. FIRST SPA THEN DPA. USED
RADIOISOTOPE AS A SOURCE OF RADIATION.
• FIRST COMMERCIAL DXA SCANNER
INTRODUCED IN 1987 FIRST USED RADIOISOTOPE
AS THE X-RAY SOURCE THEN REPLACED BY THE
X-RAY TUBE.

• DXA OF THE HIP AND SPINE IS THE MOST

ACCEPTED METHOD FOR MEASURING BONE
DENSITY
CT BONE DENSITOMETRY
SPA SCANNER
HIP AND SPINE DXA
BONE BIOLOGY
 SKELETON PURPOSES
• BODY SUPPORT

• RED BLOOD CELLS MANUFACTURING

• MINERAL STORAGE
 BONE TYPES
• CORTICAL

• TRABECULAR- ( CANCELLOUS)
 BONE CROSS-SECTION

                                                    

                 
CORTICAL BONE ACCOUNTS
FOR 80% OF SKELETAL MASS

IT SUPPORTS WEIGHT
TRABECULAR BONE IS THE
DELICATE LATTICE WITHIN
THE BONE THAT ADDS
STRENGTH
 SPECIFIC BONE
• 40% ORGANIC MATTER

• 60% BONE MINERAL

DXA MEASURES THE DENSITY

OF BONE MINERAL
BONE IS CONSTANTLY GOING
HROUGH THE REMODELING
PROCESS
PEAK BONE MASS AT THE
AGE OF 30-35
DECREASING BONE MASS
STARTING AT THE AGE OF
50
DECREASE IN BONE MASS
PRONOUNCED IN WOMEN
AT MENOPAUSE

LOSS OF BONE
PRESERVING ESTROGEN!
 OSTEOPOROSIS
Osteoporosis, or "thin" bones, is a disease that
gradually weakens bones, making them more fragile
and likely to break. It is not a form of arthritis.
Osteoporosis leads to an increase in certain types of
fractures (broken bones), such as hip fractures, wrist
fractures, and compression fractures of the spinal
vertebrae (back bones)
 RISK FACTORS FOR
OSTEOPOROSIS IN WOMEN
• MENOPAUSE
• SMALL BONE FRAME
• FAMILY HISTORY
• ADVANCED AGE
• LOW CALCIUM DIET
• INACTIVE LIFESTYLE
• CIGARETTE SMOKING
• GI MALABSORPTION PROBLEM
• CERTAIN MEDICATION USE-
CORTICOSTEROIDS
 MINERAL CONTENT
CALCULATION IN BONE
DENSITOMETRY
BMC = BMD X AREA
 DXA SYSTEMS
• PENCIL BEAM

• FAN BEAM
PENCIL BEAM SCANNER
FAN BEAM SCANNER