Reporting Densitometry

Abstract

The computer-generated printouts from densitometry devices have become increasingly sophisticated as the field of densitometry itself has matured. Skeletal images are clearer on the printouts with improvements in both image and printer resolution. In addition to the measured skeletal parameters from the device, World Health Organization (WHO) criteria (1) diagnoses, fracture risk assessments, and colorful graphic comparisons of the patient’s BMD to their peers are commonly found. The addition of WHO diagnostic categories and fracture risk assessments to the densitometry printout is a departure from earlier practices in which such clinical interpretations of the numerical data were deemed inappropriate in the absence of a physician’s review of the data. In fact, such densitometry computer-generated assessments are still inappropriate in the absence of a careful review by the densitometrist. It is also absolutely necessary that the densitometrist offer necessary clinical guidance to the referring physician based on the densitometry findings. Such guidance is far beyond the scope of the computer-generated printout.