Bone Density Measurements During CT Enterography: Why Not?

Patients with Crohn disease often undergo computed tomographic (CT) enterography or other forms of abdominal pelvic CT scanning. In addition, it is now common to screen patients with Crohn disease, with or without a history of cortical steroid use, for osteoporosis and osteopenia using dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) scans.

Now, investigators have examined whether information on bone mineral density (BMD) obtained from DEXA scans could also be obtained from CT enterography using a technique called “biomechanical computed tomography.” They retrospectively identified 136 patients who underwent both imaging tests within 30 days of each other at a single center and assessed correlations between BMD in the femoral neck and T-scores derive…