Abstract
Osteoporosis, a systemic metabolic disease of bone, is characterized by low bone mass
and altered trabecular pattern, leading to increased risk of fractures. It increases
in prevalence with age, especially in postmenopausal women, and can have other secondary
causes. Radiologic evaluation of osteoporosis has historically used conventional radiography,
which demonstrates cortical thinning, increased radiolucency, and altered trabecular
patterns, and also aids in assessing vertebral fractures. Many indexes have been devised,
such as the Saville index for the degree of radiolucency, and the Genant grading system
for vertebral fractures. Other grading systems have been produced to assess the change
in trabecular patterns in the proximal femur and the calcaneus. Differentiating osteoporosis
from other bone disorders, such as malignancy, endocrinologic or metabolic diseases,
and other causes is also important. Bone scintigraphy, although useful in excluding
other metabolic bone diseases and determining the age of vertebral fractures, is less
useful for diagnosis of osteoporosis. More recently, the measurement of Hounsfield
units on multidetector computed tomography has emerged as a possible modality for
opportunistic screening of osteoporosis when being performed for other indications.
Keywords
osteoporosis - radiology - radiography - computed tomography - bone scintigraphy
