Bath VA installs advanced bone density scanner

PHOTO PROVIDED Pictured above, Dr. Charles Roche, Bath VA staff radiologist, Christal Rogers, radiology manager, and Dr. Alan Fantuzzo, chief of staff, cut the ribbon to celebrate the installation of the VA's densitometry system.

BATH - Physicians will be able to detect the disease earlier and more accurately

The Bath Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center announced last week it has acquired a new, advanced bone densitometry system that provides the image quality, accuracy and precision required for the earlier detection of osteoporosis.

The Lunar iDXA will enable Bath VA physicians to more successfully treat the disease by precisely measuring a patient's bone and allowing for the detection of even the most minor changes.

"Our provision of bone densitometry services to our veteran patients raises the level of care in our facility to combat the silent disease of osteoporosis," said Dr. Alan Fantuzzo, Chief of Staff.

"We know today that osteoporosis is not a normal condition of aging, rather it is a disease that can be prevented. By investing in a bone densitometry system, our staff will be able to detect osteoporosis at its earliest stage, enabling immediate treatment to minimize deterioration of bone structure."

Once thought to be a normal part of aging, it is now known that osteoporosis can be slowed and fractures avoided with early detection and treatment.

According to the 2004 U.S. Surgeon General's Report, 10 million Americans over the age of 50 have osteoporosis, while another 34 million have low bone mass and are at risk for developing the disease. The Surgeon General warns that if immediate action is not taken, half of all Americans over 50 will have weak bones from osteoporosis and low bone mass by 2020.

Weak bones can often lead to painful and debilitating fractures, with the most common being the wrist, spine and hip. According to the Surgeon General's report, 1.5 million American suffer a fracture because of osteoporosis and weak bones.

The cost of a hip fracture for one individual can exceed $18,000 throughout their lifetime, while providing the care for bone fractures from osteoporosis costs the U.S. health system nearly $18 billion each year The densitometry system's powerful acquisition capabilities will provide the doctors and their patients with accurate bone density measurements.