← Return to New Osteoporosis Screening Article via CT Scan

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Profile picture for awfultruth @awfultruth

I see no reason to get all excited by this. It is of very limited use. It could give some additional info perhaps if a person had never had a DXA and had to have a CT scan of their lower spine and hips for other reasons. In that situation sure, makes sense to analyze the CT scan for bone density and quality. But there is no mention of a translation of this CT report to be able to relate it to a DXA. No way to use this going forward to track progress or worsening of your bone density. No one would keep getting CT scans to check bone density. Way way too much radiation. Perhaps if one had to track some other condition that was so dire you are ignoring the radiation. Maybe in that case you could continue to track your bone density?
In short this might be a useful one time thing for the subset of people who have lumbar and pelvic CT scans. Other than that I don't see it as important.

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Replies to "I see no reason to get all excited by this. It is of very limited use...."

@awfultruth,
I'm pretty excited, not just for the many that already have metal implants that make dexa useless, not even for the small boned who may be taking medications that are harmful, that they don't even need, and not just for those with cortical loss who are missed because dexa best measures trabecular bone.
I'm excited by the policy-recognition that that bone density is not THE measure of bone strength. Ignoring that known fact, even clinical trial rules have shortened the (I would argue needed) research process by making increased BMD the targeted approval point for osteoporosis drugs.
Biomedical CT may become another patient driven change. I messaged the endocrinologist I see as soon a I read the article that petite, smart, female linked. I'd like to skip the annual dexa and have a biomedical CT.