The Rising Utilization of Opportunistic CT Screening and Machine Learning in Bone Mineral Density

Abstract

The attenuation of the x-ray beam used in computerized tomography (CT) imaging is proportional to the atomic density of the tissue being imaged, meaning changes in the units measuring attenuation of the radiation beam (Houns fi eld units) are proportional to the density of imaged tissue such as bone. This makes CTa good potential modality for identifying patients with clinically signi fi cant diminished bone mineral density. The high validity as well as lower cost and lower radiation exposure of dual x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scans compared to CT have made DXA scans the gold standard for the diagnosis of osteoporosis. However, CT scans have become incredibly common, particularly in the high risk for insuf fi ciency fracture group of adult patients presenting to emergency centres after fall, 1 which provides enormous potential for opportunistic screening of patients for osteoporosis on CT. The