Normal Bone

Osteoporotic bone

What type bone mineral density test is at your clinic?

Fast Radiation-free Screening Tool

Ultrasound bone sonometry is a safe, radiation-free modality that provides precise quantitative assessment of skeletal status, useful in identifying patients at risk of developing osteoporosis and for assessing their risk of future fracture.

In this painless test, sound waves pass through your heel for about 10 seconds. The denser and healthier your foot, the longer the sound waves take to pass through it. Instead of creating an image of your foot, the sonometer prints out a "numbers report" on your bone density.


In less than a minute, We can estimate a patient's bone mineral density, based on an ultrasound measurement of the calcaneus (heel bone), the preferred peripheral site proven in numerous studies to predict fracture risk.

Who should have a BMD test?

The US Preventive Task Force said in September 2002 that women who weigh less than 154 pounds, or who don't take supplemental estrogen, should be screened for osteoporosis beginning at age 60. The task force also recommended that women who don't fit these descriptions should be screened regularly beginning at age 65. The National Osteoporosis Foundation recommends bone density testing if you're a woman over 65, if you've suffered a bone fracture after menopause, or if you've gone through menopause and have one or more risk factors for the disease. Major risk factors for osteoporosis:

Osteoporosis Risk Factors Include

• Previous Fracture after age 40
• Steroid Medication (prednisone, cortisone…)
• Postmenopausal Women Not on Estrogen
• Age Over 65 Years
• Early Menopause in Women (before age 45)
• Testosterone Deficiency in Men
• Calcium Kidney Stones
• Smoking
• Caucasian or Asian
• Excessive Alcohol Consumption
• Family History of Osteoporosis or Hip Fracture
• Low Calcium Intake, Malabsorption
• Eating Disorders (anorexia or bulimia)
• Sedentary Lifestyle, Immobility
• Weight Loss

What other kinds of BMD tests are available?

A screening known as DXA is the standard, most accurate, and most commonly used test. (DXA is short for dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry). It measures bone mineral density in the most common sites most often fractured when someone has osteoporosis: the spine, hip, and wrist. The scan is painless, takes only about ten minutes, and gives much less radiation exposure than a standard chest X-ray. This test, however, can be expensive (up to $150) and is not available everywhere. Medicare and some insurance companies cover the test for high-risk women over 65.

Other tests, known for short as pDXA, are mini-versions of the DXA that measure bone density in the forearm, finger, and sometimes the heel of the foot. Machines that perform this test are less accurate than the DXA, but can give a general idea of osteoporosis risk.
Another test called radiographic absorptiometry (RA) measures bone density in the hand, using a standard or computer-generated x-ray. Its accuracy is similar to the DXA. Still another screening tool is known as quantitative computed tomography. It can measure bone loss at several sites in the body, but is usually used as an alternative to DXA to measure bone density in the spine.

How are the results measured, and what do they mean?

Most of the tests produce what is called a "T-score" for your bones: if you score below -1, you're considered normal (your bone density is equivalent to that of a healthy 35-year-old); if you score -1 to -2.5, you may be at risk for the disease; if your score is lower than -2.5, you're diagnosed with osteoporosis. The National Osteoporosis Foundation (NOF) recommends treatment for people with a score of -2 with no risk factors, and for T-scores below -1.5 with risk factors.