Bone densitometry has been in the news recently, with the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force
considering expanding the age of screening for women at high-risk for osteoporosis.
These tests, which include dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry or DXA, to measure the density of bone, help doctors determine a patient's risk for debilitating and sometimes deadly fractures. DXA can also be utilized for measuring body composition because it accurately shows where fat is distributed throughout the body. Accurate measurement of body composition can provide valuable information for assessing, monitoring and treating a variety of diseases and disorders.
To find out more about the scanners, DOTmed News met with GE Healthcare's Lunar division, a manufacturer of bone density scanners, at Pri-Med 2010 in New York City. There, we spoke with Dr. Marc Polimeni, an internist who utilizes a Lunar iDXA in his practice in Oradell, N.J.
(Click the video to watch our talk with Dr. Polimeni about using GE bone densitometers to analyze patients' body composition.)
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Total body composition image
of fat and lean tissue mass
on the GE Lunar iDXA.
Lunar's devices include automated scanning features like OneScan that the company estimates can cut procedure times. They also feature software that helps scan the spine, hip and femura, while also producing reports on fracture risk based on World Health Organization guidelines.
But many doctors are finding that the body composition analysis application can also help them build their practice. The DXA scans utilize X-rays at a low dose to reveal a patient's fat and lean tissue mass, and offer a visually gripping alternative to the more abstract body mass index.
Polimeni believes these images, by actually showing patients the fat content in their bodies, can sometimes be more inspiring than dry BMI numbers in convincing patients to make healthy lifestyle changes.
"You give them something they can work for," he said.
