DEXA Bone Densitometry CenterOsteoporosis"The Silent Epidemic" Osteoporosis is a potentially crippling disease characterized by the loss of bone tissue and a susceptibility to fracture-afflicts an estimated 25 million Americans, 80 percent of whom are women. Annually, this disease accounts for 1.3 million debilitating fractures, mostly of the weight-bearing hip and spine. Osteoporosis has often been called the "silent disease," because it doesn't produce symptoms until a fracture occurs. Approximately 50 percent of women over age 50 are at risk of sustaining an osteoporotic fracture. In fact, a woman's risk of hip fracture alone equals her combined risk of developing breast, uterine or ovarian cancer. In short, the prevalence of osteoporosis has reached epidemic proportions. Are You At Risk? Your chances of developing osteoporosis are greater if you are female and answer "yes" to any of the following questions: Are you…? Do you have…? The Good News! Osteoporosis is preventable and treatable. Today, doctors are better equipped to detect and treat bone loss in its earliest stages, so as to prevent the disease or lessen its impact. Also, several drug therapies, now on the market, have been shown to be clinically effective in slowing down or reversing the bone-loss process. Just as no physician would prescribe a medication for hypertension without first taking the patient's blood pressure, the diagnosis and treatment of osteoporosis should begin with an objective, quantifiable measurement of the patient's bone mass or bone density. Bone densitometry…safe, reliable and cost-effective Bone densitometry, using an advanced technology called DXA (short for Dual-energy X-ray Absorpitometry), safely, accurately and painlessly measures bone density and the mineral content of bone. During a comprehensive bone evaluation with DXA, the patient lies comfortably still on a padded table while the DXA unit scans one or more areas, usually the fracture-prone spine or the hip. Unlike typical x-ray machines, radiation exposure during bone densitometry is extremely low-less than the radiation exposure during a coast-to-coast airline flight. The entire process takes only minutes to complete, depending on the number of sites scanned. It involves no injections or invasive procedures, and patients remain fully clothed. Bone Densitometry Using DXA Preparing for Bone Densitometry Scanning How DXA Bone Densitometry Works
Nancy Harkrider, RDMS, RT (R)(M), CDT Position: Technical Director Board Certifications: American Registry of Radiologic Technologists with Advanced Certification in Mammography American Registry of Diagnostic Medical Sonographers Certified Densitometry Technologist Licensure: State of Texas, certified medical radiologist technologist Professional memberships: American Society of Radiologic Technologists Society of Diagnostic Medical Sonographers International Society for Clinical Densitometry Staff Members Frank Hadlock, MD Ralph Sharmen, MD Yogesh Shah, MD Mahesh Shetty, MD Candace Roberts, MD Janie Mitchell, RT (R)(M), CDT, CMRT (DEXA) Sharon Bennett, RT (R), RDMS Georgiann Aguinaga, RT, RDMS Delia Guajardo, RT, RDMS |
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