
Osteophytes - spurious bone density reading?
I refer to a lengthy message on
<sci.med.disease.osteoporosis> posted by
Rather than reproduce the whole thing, which I hope Hon.
Members in the relevant medical field will read, I quote the passage
that concerns me.
"In older women, where discordance is less of a problem, the
likelihood of missing a diagnosis of osteoporosis when measuring only
one skeletal site such as the wrist, heel, or hip is reduced.
Emphasis added in the following:
"The exception in the elderly is a single measurement of the posterior
anterior spine by dual energy x-ray absorptiometry, where artefacts
such as osteophytes can spuriously increase the value of one mineral
density measurements."
It sounds like they are saying it can give a false measurement of the
amount of bone loss. But which way? Under-state, or over-state?
TIA
--
Polar