Bone mineral density test: Normal and osteoporosis


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Bone mineral density test: Normal and osteoporosis


Bone mineral density of spine

Courtesy of Intermountain Medical Imaging, Boise, Idaho.

Figure 1 shows a bone mineral density (BMD) test of a healthy older woman. The X-ray shows a healthy spine. The BMD is determined by the X-ray. The graph shows the bone mineral density number in the green zone (normal). Figure 2 shows a BMD test of an older woman with osteoporosis. The X-ray shows weaker bones. The graph shows the bone mineral density number in the red zone (osteoporosis), placing her at much greater risk for broken bones (fractures).

Credits


Primary Medical Reviewer Joy Melnikow, MD, MPH

- Family Medicine
Specialist Medical Reviewer Carla J. Herman, MD, MPH

- Internal Medicine
Last Updated October 4, 2006

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