title: Photon absorptiometry, bone densitometry and the challenge of osteoporosis.
abstract: During the lifetime of Physics in Medicine and Biology, osteoporosis has been recognized as the cause of a major health burden for societies, particularly within developed countries. The health detriment is associated with the consequences of bone fractures and the subsequent increases in morbidity and mortality. Much of the credit for the current availability of means for identifying groups of subjects at risk of fracture and the provision of means for the effective treatment of excessive bone loss can be attributed to the technique of dual photon absorptiometry. In this review, the history of the development of techniques based on the interactions of x- and gamma-rays with bone is considered and the ultimate dominance of x-ray based absorptiometry is described. The advantages and disadvantages of current absorptiometric techniques are presented and the likely future path for bone measurement is outlined.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Medicine, Hamilton Health Sciences, Hamilton, Ontario, L8N 3Z5, Canada. webber@hhsc.ca
authors.forename: Colin E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Webber
mesh_terms: D015502:Absorptiometry, Photon / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods* / Q000639:trends; D000818:Animals; D001709:Biotechnology / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods / Q000639:trends; D015519:Bone Density; D050723:Fractures, Bone / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000209:etiology; D005598:Fractures, Spontaneous / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D007089:Image Enhancement / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods / Q000639:trends; D010024:Osteoporosis / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D014463:Ultrasonography / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods* / Q000639:trends