Common Questions
Are peripheral DXA results useful for diagnosing osteoporosis?
Bone density testing of the peripheral skeleton (pDXA), such as the ankle or wrist, may be useful for predicting short-term risk only at the site screened. It should not be used to diagnose osteoporosis or for monitoring treatment. It is not accurate for predicting bone mineral density (BMD) at the hip or spine, but may point to women who would benefit from further screening of the central skeleton (1). Dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) of the spine and/or hip (particularly the total hip or femoral neck) should be obtained in a woman with a peripheral T score of -1.0 or less. These are the tests used for diagnosing osteoporosis. Lumbar spine DXA results may be more useful in early postmenopausal women as osteoporosis develops at that site before the hip. Whereas the spinal results in an elderly woman may be artificially high due to osteoarthritis.
- Raisz LG. Screening for Osteoporosis. N Engl J Med 2005; 353: 164-171.