The patient simply lies on a padded table during the scan of a particular part of the body such as the lower spine and hip. The test period is short - only several minutes. A radiologist reads and compares the results to normal values and prepares a concise report for the referring physician. QCT or Quantitative Computed Tomography is also extremely accurate in measuring bone density in the spine or hip. A woman s bone mass peaks around age 35 and levels off during menopause.
Bone density declines sharply during the first years of menopause.
A BMD can be critical to a woman s health later in life when the risk of fracture increases. Rarely will the study by itself make the diagnosis.