Densitometry of the lumbar spine and neck of the hip is a rather expensive, but very popular procedure. She is familiar to almost every person who has had pain in the back, waist, hip section. The cause of the appearance of unpleasant sensations is the impressive thinning of bone tissues. And densitometry is a procedure that studies the mineral structure of these tissues and helps to choose the most suitable treatment.
Who is shown the densitometry of the spine?
Examination can be carried out on absolutely any department of a backbone. But the most popular, as practice shows, are the lumbar, hip in general and the neck of the hip in particular. Sometimes, if necessary, investigate the structure of the entire skeleton.
There are different types of procedure:
- The most informative and accurate is the x-ray densitometry of the lumbar spine. This study determines the density of tissues. During the procedure, different X-rays are used.
- Quantitative computed tomography gives a three-dimensional image of the structure of the bone.
- Ultrasound and X-ray examination are very similar. But under the influence of ultrasound, the results are not so accurate.
Who needs to undergo densitometry of the spine and hips?
For the examination, patients usually get after visiting a specialist. But there are such categories of people who need to do densitometry regularly. These include:
- persons prone to developing osteoporosis;
- women in menopause;
- too low people;
- patients with excess weight;
- patients with scoliosis , intervertebral hernia, osteochondrosis .
Preparation for densitometry of the lumbar spine
A great advantage of this survey is that it does not require any preparation. The main thing is to make an appointment in advance. Pacemakers or metal implants should be warned before the study begins. And perhaps the most difficult
How does densitometry of the hip and spine?
A lot of time research will not take away. The patient needs to lie down on the couch, above which there is a sensor receiving information about how the absorption of rays takes place. The latter are radiated by a special device, which is located under the couch.
During densitometry, you should lie still and move only at the doctor's command. All data is displayed on the screen.