Using Quantitative Ultrasound and OSTA Index to Increase the Efficacy and Decrease the Cost for Diagnosis of Osteoporosis
Suppasin Soontrapa MD*, Sukree Soontrapa MD**, Sakda Chaikitpinyo MD*
Affiliation : * Department of Orthopedics, Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, Thailand ** Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, Thailand
According to the WHO criteria for diagnosing osteoporosis, DXA is presently the best method for measuring and diagnosing osteoporosis, but it is relatively expensive, non-portable and emits low-level radiation. Alternatively, the Osteoporosis Risk Assessment Tool for Asians (OSTA) and quantitative ultrasound (QUS) are simpler, less expensive and emit no radiation, but are less accurate. However, the use of OSTA index corroborated by QUS was proposed as an alternative method of diagnosing osteoporosis. The combined diagnostic strength of an OSTA index < -1 and a QUS T-score < -4.5 had comparably high accuracy relative to the gold standard DXA T-score < -2.5, especially for the femoral neck (80%) and total femur (89%). We conclude that the sequential use of the OSTA index followed by QUS is an efficacious alternative for diagnosing osteoporosis, especially in rural areas or in developing countries where resources are limited.
Keywords : Asian continental ancestry group, Absorptiometry, Photon, Osteoporosis, Ultrasonography
