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Dual Energy X-ray Absorbtiometry

A new measuring equipment of bone mineralisation

The Bordet Institute has recently acquired, thanks the contribution of the Friends, a new measuring equipment of bone mineralisation.

This technique is designed to detect people who have a low bone (calcic) mineral capital, or who have lost an excessive mineral quantity following the disease or treatments.
An excessive bone lost can lead to osteoporosis. Osteoporosis increases significantly the risks of fractures, namely at sensitive areas like vertebra (compression), hip or wrist.
The bone mineral lost is higher by women after the menopause and can cause osteoporosis if the starting bone capital is low and if a preventive treatment is not followed.

In addition, the bone mineral lost is associated to many cancers.

 

Some treatments exist :

- hormone replacement therapy by women at the menopause who have low starting mineralisation,
- specific treatments (family of biphosphonate) when a great lost or osteoporosis occur.
These treatments require a follow-up of mineralisation's measures, whose evaluation by clinical trials has been highly developed at the Institute, under the impetus of Pr. J.-J. Body, international expert in the field of bone metabolism.
These studies require a maximum reliability of measure methods.

The technique that is currently universally used for the clinical measure of bone mineralisation is DEXA (Dual Energy X-ray Absorbtiometry). It is in 1991 that the Institute acquired its first equipment of a DEXA system (HOLOGIC QDR). However it does not fit the current demand for systems that are used for clinical research and it does not have the needed reliability anymore.
The support of the Friends of the Bordet Institute has allowed the Institute to acquire the new system HOLOGIC DELPHI A, which constitutes nowadays a reference as a bone mineralisation measure.
In addition to an acquisition much faster of the sites of measurement on the level of the spine and hip, a more comfortable table for the patient and an easier manipulation, the DELPHI has more sophisticated analysis functions, it is linked to the computing interface of the hospital and it is able to provide a automated study of spinal fractures clues in case of osteoporosis.

Article written by Prof. M. Lemort extract from Bordet News n° 62 - page 15

 

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