Osteoporosis is a serious medical condition. More often than not, people only find out that they have it after they've broken a bone after some trivial trauma. While many believe that weak bones are an inevitable part of growing old, there are actual ways of preventing and treating osteoporosis. Lifestyle choices such as regular weight-bearing exercise and eating well help build up bone mineral reserves. Screening with bone densitometry, especially with dual energy X-ray absorptiometry, will help identify those at risk and determine who may need additional pharmacologic intervention.
This is an image of the lumbar spine of an elderly patient. While the image itself is not used for diagnosis of anatomical pathologies, it allows us to determine the areal density of the patient's spine, particularly the lumbar spine. This density value is compared against a database of density values of a group matched in terms of age and ethnicity to the patient, and to a group of young people at their peak bone mass. In a sense, one can get a picture of how old one's spine is, in relation to both peers and in relation to young adults. These comparisons help doctors quantify a patient's risk and design appropriate prevention or treatment plans.