Routine CT scans may help clinicians estimate an individual’s risk of experiencing an osteoporosis fracture in the future, according to a study published recently in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research.

Among the 507 older adults who underwent chest and/or abdominal CT scans for a variety of indications, a simple rapid density measurement of bone quality called vertebral trabecular attenuation correlated with fracture risk in the following 6 years. Specifically, having a trabecular attenuation of the first lumbar vertebra below a certain threshold was associated with an increased risk of future fractures, explains a media release from Wiley.

“CT scans are commonly performed in older adults for a wide variety of reasons. The rich bone data embedded in these scans is often ignored, but can and should be harnessed for opportunistic screening for fracture risk,” says senior author Dr Perry J. Pickhardt, of the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine & Public Health, in Madison, in the release.

[Source(s): Wiley, Science Daily]