Pulse-echo ultrasound method for detection of post-menopausal women with osteoporotic BMD

We lack effective diagnostics of osteoporosis at the primary health care level. This study investigates a pulse-echo ultrasound method for osteoporosis screening in 1,091 Caucasian women aged 50–80 years. Measurements at the tibia and radius estimate cortical thickness, bone mineral density, and a density index. A strategy combining ultrasound with added DXA measurements in cases with intermediate ultrasound results (about 30%) showed high sensitivity (93.7%) and specificity (81.6%) for detecting osteoporotic hip BMD.