Emerging trends in dual energy X-ray absorptiometry.

The risk of osteoporosis and cardiovascular disease increase significantly with age. Because of the long silent latency of these diseases, there is the opportunity for primary prevention before clinical symptoms occur. The newer fan beam dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) systems can detect vertebral fractures with fast, low dose lateral scans of the vertabrae from T4 to L4 in as little as 10 s. The next generation of DXA imaging technology will image the hip in 3D and is expected to give a more accurate picture of bone density as well as the geometry and underlying strength of a bone. Visualizing abdominal aortic calcifications (AAC) as a part of a standard vertebral fracture assessment exam is a particularly valuable measurement since it is an independent measure of cardiovascular disease risk, including heart attacks and strokes.