QCT Bone Mineral Densitometry

Quantitative Computed Tomography, or QCT for short, is a technology used for the assessment of bone mineral density (BMD). Your doctor may recommend that you have our bone density measured to help determine whether you have a bone-related condition, such as osteoporosis.

What is Osteoporosis?

Osteoporosis is a bone disease that occurs when the body loses too much bone, makes too little bone, or both. As a result, bones become weak and may break from a fall or, in serious cases, from sneezing or minor bumps.

According to NOF, about 54 million Americans have elevated risk for osteoporosis or have the condition already [1].

How Can QCT Help?

A QCT bone density measurement provides information about the status of your bones and, when repeated at regular intervals, shows how your bone density has changed over time. Your doctor can use this information to determine if you need treatment for your bones, with the goal of preventing fractures.

Is QCT the Same as DXA?

QCT and DXA are both bone densitometry technologies. A QCT exam is performed on a CT scanner, also called a CAT scanner, while DXA devices are standalone x-ray machines. At the hip, the measurement results from QCT and DXA are substantially equivalent. However, at the spine, QCT makes measurements from a 3D image of the bone, whereas DXA looks only at a 2D view [2].

What to Expect at the Exam

A QCT exam is very similar to other scans performed on a CT machine. The procedure involves lying on the machine’s couch while x-ray images are captured. This process is quick and painless.

Once the images have been acquired, the facility’s staff will make bone density measurements, and the results will be provided to you and/or your doctor.

Facts About QCT

QCT is recognized as a safe and effective technique for the evaluation of BMD by the National Osteoporosis Foundation, the International Society for Clinical Densitometry, and the American College of Radiology.

Medicare and most private insurance plans cover bone density screening by QCT for postmenopausal women once every two years.

At the spine, QCT measures trabecular bone exclusively, while DXA measurements also include the less metabolically active cortical bone.[2]

References
[1] National Osteoporosis Foundation, “What is Osteoporosis and What Causes It?” https://www.nof.org/patients/what-is-osteoporosis/
[2] J. E. Adams, “Quantitative computed tomography.,”
European journal of radiology, vol. 71, no. 3, pp. 415-24,
Sep. 2009.