Advanced Imaging at Sentara: Bone Densitometry

Bone Densitometry is a radiological tool essential in managing and diagnosing osteoporosis. Using X-ray, CT scan and ultrasound technology, physicians can measure the density of minerals (mainly calcium) in your bones, and assess strength and risk of fracture.

Bone densitometry is especially helpful in detecting the early stages of osteoporosis, before symptoms occur. Osteoporosis is a condition that affects mostly women over the age of 65, although men can be afflicted as well. While everyone loses bone mass with age, osteoporosis puts you at increased risk for fractures, particularly in the hips and vertebrae. Nearly half of all women and a quarter of men older than 50 will break a bone due to osteoporosis. The good news is, with bone density testing, most of these patients can be treated before their bones lose too much strength.

If you have a history of osteoporosis in your family, you are 65 or older, or you are a woman past menopause, a bone density test could help you assess your risks for osteoporosis and understand what steps you can take now to maintain your bone mass and build new bone tissue.

For more information on bone densitometry or osteoporosis, visit Medline Plus, a service of the National Institutes of Health and the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

Bone Densitometry Locations:
For more information on these locations, select one of the locations listed above from our Where to Go section.
 
Advanced Imaging Center —Sentara Princess Anne, Virginia Beach
 Advanced Imaging Center—Sentara Greenbrier Healthplex, Chesapeake  
Executive Evaluation Center—Wainwright, Norfolk
 Dorothy G. Hoefer Breast Center at Sentara Port Warwick, Newport News 
 Geddy Outpatient Center, Williamsburg 
Sentara Bayside Hospital, Virginia Beach 
Sentara Leigh Hospital, Norfolk 
Sentara Norfolk General Hospital 
Sentara Obici Hospital, Suffolk 
Sentara Virginia Beach General Hospital