OSTEOPOROSIS SCREENING/BONE DENSITOMETRY
At The Women's Healthcare Group, We Believe Your Best Defense is a Strong Offense!
What is Osteoporosis?
Osteoporosis is a disease which progresses silently and over time weakens bone. There is usually no pain or other warning signs until a fracture occurs. Osteoporosis affects nearly half of all postmenopausal women. Osteoporosis and associated fractures can rob you of your mobility and your independence. A woman's lifelong risk of a hip fracture is equal to the combined risks of developing breast, uterine, and ovarian cancer.
Early Diagnosis: The First Step Towards Preserving Your Independence
In our desire to provide the women of South Central Pennsylvania with a simple, safe, accurate, yet inexpensive method of testing for osteoporosis, in January of 1999 The Women's Healthcare Group established our Osteoporosis/Bone Density Assessment Program which involves a two-stage screening/diagnosis process.
How is it Diagnosed?
First Stage - We have chosen to use the Achilles ultrasonometer to quickly, accurately, and inexpensively determine bone density of the heel. This measurement correlates very well with bone density of the spine and hip. Diagnosing and treating osteoporosis well before the age of 65 is the only real way to reduce future fracture risk.
If the Achilles test is normal, no further testing is needed for two or more years. If the test shows an abnormally low bone density however, a more thorough evaluation using DXA is usually recommended.
Second Stage - The "gold standard" test to evaluate bone density is called a DXA. We use a state-of-the-art GE Prodigy DXA system to safely and precisely assess the bone density of your spine and hip -- the two most likely sites of fracture from osteoporosis.
Once we have assessed the strength of your bone at the hip and spine, we can determine your future risk of fracture at these sites and together design a therapy plan that will best address this risk as part of an overall health maintenance plan.
What is an Achilles Test?
An Achilles test involves placing the heel of your bare foot in a simple device while an ultrasonic wave (like sonar on a submarine) passes through the bone of your heel. This test is entirely painless and uses no radiation whatsoever. It should take approximately five minutes at the most to complete. This is recommended as the first stage of screening for all women under 65, unless they have had a previously abnormal DXA.
What is a DXA?
DXA stands for Dual energy X-ray Absorptiometry and is sometimes referred to as a "bone density test". This is the most accurate method of screening and diagnosing osteoporosis available today. DXA uses a very small amount of X-ray radiation (about 1/20th of that received in a mammogram and, interestingly enough, about equal to the radiation exposure one would experience on a cross-country airline flight) to directly image and determine the bone strength of your hips and lower spine. This test is also entirely pain free and requires you to lay on a cushioned table for approximately 15 minutes. This table is not enclosed, and you do not need to get undressed in any way. Most facilities performing DXA choose to image only one hip along with the spine. At The Women's Healthcare Group, we prefer to get images of the spine and both hips, thus enhancing the diagnostic capabilities of the test.
Who Should Get a Bone Density Assessment?
All postmenopausal women should be considered candidates for osteoporosis screening. If you are not yet postmenopausal, certain medications, lifestyle characteristics, and family history may impact significantly on an individuals risk of having osteoporosis, and, therefore, it is important that you ask your doctor if such testing would be appropriate for you.
If you are a patient at The Women's Healthcare Group, feel free to inquire about the appropriateness of this testing with any of us. If you are not currently a patient here at The Women's Healthcare Group, please discuss this with your primary care physician, although you also have the option of contacting us directly to discuss our Osteoporosis/Bone Density Assessment Program.
All five physicians at The Women's Healthcare Group are Certified Clinical Densitometrists - a certification awarded by the
International Society of Clinical Densitometry (ISCD). They are the only OB/GYN's in South Central Pennsylvania that have this certification and, as women's healthcare specialists, are uniquely capable of incorporating osteoporosis screening, diagnosis and therapy into your individualized health maintenance program.
Please feel free to contact any of us to discuss the role that osteoporosis screening plays in designing a proactive health maintenance program to best serve your needs. We can be reached at
(717) 845-1621 or feel free to utilize the
contact form available on this website.
