title: Comparison of quantitative ultrasound and dual X-ray absorptiometry in estrogen-treated early postmenopausal women.
abstract: Identifying individuals at risk of developing osteoporosis is important in order to initiate early treatment. Many new techniques have been proposed as alternatives for DXA-scanning. Some of these alternatives certainly have advantages, but none have so far been demonstrated to predict fractures better, or even to identify individuals at risk of osteoporosis as well as with the standard method. In this study, comprising a group of women from the Danish Osteoporosis Prevention Study, we wished to investigate whether a technique based on quantitative ultrasound (QUS) could identify individuals with low BMC/BMD as measured by dual X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). Furthermore, we wished to test whether the method could detect differences between untreated individuals and those treated with hormone replacement therapy. We found that QUS could detect differences between the treated and untreated groups, but it was unable to identify women with low BMD, although it might be able to identify persons not at risk of osteoporosis. Low QUS values should be followed by a regular DXA measurement to confirm the presence of osteoporosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology, Hillerød Hospital, Denmark.
authors.forename: H A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Sørensen
authors.forename: N R
authors.initials: NR
authors.lastname: Jørgensen
authors.forename: J E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Jensen
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Rasmussen
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Hansen
authors.forename: S P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Nielsen
authors.forename: O H
authors.initials: OH
authors.lastname: Sørensen
mesh_terms: D015502:Absorptiometry, Photon; D015519:Bone Density; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D015914:Estrogen Replacement Therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D015663:Osteoporosis, Postmenopausal / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000517:prevention & control; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012372:ROC Curve; D018570:Risk Assessment; D014463:Ultrasonography