Bone scanning for osteoporosis 'could be used to predict hip fractures'

A new study has shed light on the way in which people with a specific type ofosteoporosis are likely to experience weakness in their bones that increases their chances of suffering a fracture. The research from the University of Cambridge, which was funded byArthritis Research UK, has shown how further examination of bone quality might in future help to identify which patients may be at greatest risk of a hip fracture. Bone mapping to identify weak spots Focal osteoporosis is a form of the disease that affects specific parts of the bone. It is recognised that focal osteoporosis present in certain areas of the hips can greatly increase a person's chance of a fracture, as these parts of the hip are particularly vulnerable to rapid bone loss with ageing due to limited stress during walking and sitting. For this research, published in the scientific journal Bone, a technique known as cortical bone mapping (CBM) was applied to CT scans in order to find areas of bone weakness in patients with acute hip fractures. A total of 313 female and 40 male volunteers took part in this research, which revealed that hip fracture patients tended to have specific patterns of focal osteoporosis. These patterns were shown to correspond to the type of fracture the patient had, which shows that focal osteoporosis could allow us to determine the location of hip fractures. Potential diagnostic insights from bone scans CBM analysis was shown to be better at identifying fracture types than tradition...
Source: Arthritis Research UK - Category: Rheumatology Source Type: news