Question:Can someone provide information about differences between value of information
provided by ultrasound taken at heel and BDM with Dexascan (sp?). After my
recent wrist fracture, I'm trying like crazy to get my 73 yr. old Mom to get
the most complete look at her bone health.
She's concerned about x-ray exposure, but it's got to be less than the 20 or
more she'd have with a bad fracture!
Answer:Bone Density Measurement with ultrasound of the heel can provide information
both about the bone density and the bone rigidity.
However this technique is relatively new and is not yet accepted (at least
not by the Belgain Bone Association) as a reliable method of estimating
fracture risk.
Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DEXA) is the golden standard. With this
method we use a very small amount of X-rays to measure both trabecular and
cortical bone density. This can be done on the spine, the hip or on
peripheral bones (tibia and fore-arm). However this is only a means to get
an idea of the relative risk to suffer from bone-fractures caused by
osteoporosis.
Treatment can be relatively efficient (no miracles), but must be seen over
many years.
Therefore DEXA is very interesting for screening women in their late 40 s or
50 s. When treatment is started then, fractures can be prevented many years
later.
The X-ray dose used with DEXA is totally neglectable, and can never be a
reason not to perform this examination.
