Bone Density
Screening
Wake Radiology is the first outpatient provider in the Triangle to offer a standard bone density (DXA) scan with trabecular bone score (TBS) for advanced osteoporosis detection.
Bone Density Scan with TBS
A DXA with TBS is the most advanced, high-tech test to measure the strength of your bones and to detect your risk for osteoporosis. These assessments go beyond traditional bone mineral density (BMD) measurements to predict potential osteoporotic fractures so patients can better manage osteopenia and osteoporosis.
Osteopenia is a condition that occurs when bone density is reduced, but not enough to meet the diagnostic criteria for osteoporosis. While osteopenia itself may not present symptoms, it is often a stage of bone loss that precedes osteoporosis. Over 10 million people in the United States are affected by osteoporosis, but with early detection, bone density loss can be slowed and bone mass increased, reducing the risk of bone fractures.
Advantages of DXA with TBS:
- It’s a non-invasive, accurate and inexpensive way to determine a patient’s risk of breaking bones before a fracture occurs.
- It requires no additional imaging, time or radiation.
- It can measure multiple sites of the body to determine the most appropriate treatments.
- It provides information about the quality of bone structure which is a more reliable predictor of fracture risk than a DXA scan alone.
Neglect of osteoporosis can lead to chronic pain and fractures, but studies show that early detection and treatment can reduce fractures by up to 50%. (National Library of Medicine)
Get ahead of osteoporosis. Ask your doctor about an advanced bone density scan with TBS.
Who is at risk of osteoporosis?
- Advancing age
- Low calcium intake
- Female gender
- Low Vitamin D
- Caucasian or Asian
- Excessive alcohol
- Family history
- Excessive caffeine
- Small thin bones
- Menopause
- Smoking
- Sedentary lifestyle
How is osteoporosis detected?
Your doctor refers you for a bone densitometry (DEXA) scan. It uses X-rays to measure how much calcium and other bone minerals are packed into a bone. The most commonly tested bones are the spine, hip and forearm. The scan takes 15-30 minutes. TBS uses spine imaging from a DEXA scan to measure bone microarchitecture and better predict a patient’s risk of fractures.
How to prepare for a bone densitometry scan?
- No solid pills containing calcium for 24 hours prior to the scan
- No IV contrast, barium studies or nuclear medicine studies for three weeks prior to the scan
Can osteoporosis be prevented and treated?
It’s never too early to start preventing osteoporosis. With early detection of osteopenia and osteoporosis, bone loss can be slowed and bone mass increased.
Prevention of osteoporosis:
- Balanced diet rich in calcium
- Regular weight-bearing exercise
- No smoking
- Limit alcohol intake
- Hormonal replacement therapy
- Prevention of falls
- Sufficient vitamin D
Treatments of osteoporosis:
- Calcium
- Vitamin D
- Estrogen – reduces bone loss and fractures
- Alendronate – alternative to Estrogen, increases bone mass
- Calcitonin – alternative to Alendronate, reduces vertebral fractures
- Vertebroplasty/kyphoplasty
- Kyphoplasty – see our outpatient services
1 in 5 women over 50 have osteoporosis*
The good news is with early prevention and detection, as well as new treatments, osteoporosis doesn’t have to be the debilitating disease that once immobilized your mother or grandmother. It’s now possible to detect osteoporosis before a fracture and to build up bone mass even after it has been lost.
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