Quantitative diagnostic methods in osteoporosis: a review.

During the last two decades there have been major advances in the understanding of pathophysiology and in the diagnosis of osteoporosis. There are now, in addition to standard radiographs, a number of different diagnostic modalities available to doctors for the quantitative assessment of bone mass. These methodologies are having an increasingly important role, not only in the clinical diagnosis, but also in the monitoring of patients with osteoporosis. As the population ages there will be an increasing demand for these services, and radiologists need to be aware of the strength and limitations of the different modalities available.