Western Baptist Hospital offers bone densitometry to determine a woman's risk for osteoporosis and monitor women who already have the disease.

Based on technology called Dual-energy X-ray Absorptimoetry or DXA, bone densitometry measures the bone mineral content and density of specific bone sites -- mainly the hip and spine -- that are most susceptible to fracture due to osteoporosis and other degenerative bone disease.

Conventional X-rays don't reveal any problems with bone density until you've lost at least 30 percent of your bone mass and it's too late for treatment to be of any benefit. Bone densitometry is much more sensitive and can be used to:

• Detect osteoporosis before you experience painful fractures, and
• See how well you are responding to hormone replacement therapy or other medicines used to slow bone loss or rebuild bone.

The Health Risks of Osteoporosis, the Silent Crippler

Most people don't think twice about walking downstairs or standing up straight. But for the more than 25 million Americans who are affected by osteoporosis, everyday activities such as lifting a bag of groceries can cause pain or even fracture a bone.

Osteoporosis literally means "porous bone." The inside of healthy bone looks somewhat like a sponge. With osteoporosis, it's as if the holes in the sponge have become larger and more numerous, weakening the bone and making it more susceptible to fractures. As the condition worsens, broken bones may occur in the hip, spine or wrist. In fact, osteoporosis is responsible for as many as 300,000 hip fractures every year in the United States.

In older people, hip fractures can be devastating and often take a toll on families as well. Fifty percent of hip fracture patients will be disabled, many of them permanently. In fact, the lifetime risk of death due to hip fracture is comparable to that of breast cancer.

Because osteoporosis has no visible symptoms in the early stages, many people are unaware of their condition and its seriousness until they break a bone. That's why it's sometimes called the "silent crippler."

The cause of osteoporosis is an abnormally high loss of bone mass. In women, it most commonly occurs after menopause when bones lose the protective benefits of estrogen; however, certain medicines and diseases can cause bone loss in men as well as women.

Are You at Risk?

Learning more about your risk of getting osteoporosis is the first step toward protecting yourself against it. Although men as well as women can develop osteoporosis, women are four times more likely to acquire it than men. In fact, the disorder affects nearly one-half of all post menopausal women -- the largest group at risk for osteoporosis. Other risk factors that have to do with your heredity and lifestyle include:

• Being of Caucasian or Asian descent
• Family history of fractures caused by osteoporosis (hip fractures, wrist fractures, loss of height, dowager's hump)
• Early menopause
• Being small-boned and slender
• Sedentary lifestyle
• Smoking
• Excessive consumption of alcohol or caffeine
• Lack of calcium in your diet

Bone Densitometry at Western Baptist Hospital

If you're over age 50 or past menopause, you should talk to your doctor about your risk of developing osteoporosis. A bone densitometry test is a preventive type of procedure that allows you to monitor your bone health and take action to reverse bone loss.

The test itself is fast and painless. It requires no injections or other invasive procedures. During the test, you will lie fully clothed on a padded treatment table while the machine scans one or more areas of bone. The entire test takes only minutes to complete. And even though the machine emits x-rays, the radiation dose during the test is less than the radiation exposure during a coast-to-coast airline flight.

Registering for Your Bone Densitometry Exam

Western Baptist Hospital's Express Check program makes registering for bone densitometry fast and easy. To take advantage of the program, follow these simple steps:

1. As soon as your physician schedules you for your exam, call our pre-registration area at (270) 575-2979. Pre-registration clerks are available 24 hours a day seven days a week to take your phone call. Even if you are scheduled for a test or procedure the same day, it is still to your advantage to call ahead to begin the registration process.
2. Be ready to provide the registration clerk with the following information:
   • your medical record number, if you are familiar with it and you have registered at Western Baptist before;
   • your date of birth;
   • your social security number;
   • your home address;
   • the specific tests or procedures the physician has ordered; and
   • your insurance card.
3. If the clerk is able to complete your paperwork in this phone call, he or she will tell you that you are eligible for Express Check.
4. When you prepare to come to the hospital, make sure you bring your physician orders and your insurance card with you.
5. When you arrive at Western Baptist, proceed directly to the Express Check receptionist, who will copy your insurance card, have you sign a consent form and send you to Diagnostic Imaging.

You may also pre-register online by clicking here.

If you do not take advantage of the Express Check program, plan to arrive at the hospital 30 minutes before your scheduled exam time to complete the registration process.

For More Information

For more information about bone densitometry, call Western Baptist Hospital's Diagnostic Imaging Services at (270) 575-2600.

Back to Diagnostic Imaging Services
or
Back to Women's & Children's Services