Review Article

The role of the Radiology Technologist in the assessment of DXA unit precision error and Least Significant Change/LSC

Dimitra A. Zaredi¹, Christos S. Baltas²

1. Radiology Imaging Department, General Hospital “Pammakaristos”, Athens, Greece
2. Radiology Department, General Hospital of Athens “G. Gennimatas”, Athens, Greece

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Keywords: Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, DXA method, minimal significant change, Osteoporosis, Radiologic technologists

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Abstract

Osteoporosis is the most frequent bone disease, and it is considered to be a major burden for public health. Current trends show that osteoporosis rates increase all around the world, proving that osteoporosis is becoming a global socio-economic problem. Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) is an established method for the diagnosis of osteoporosis, treatment monitoring, and fracture risk assessment. Recent advances in DXA technologies have improved the accuracy and repeatability of the measurements and results of this method. However, there is a chance of BMD measurement and interpretation errors that may result in a non-accurate diagnosis or even inappropriate management of the patients. The errors that may happen in the installation and maintenance of the equipment involved in the examination, as well as the inadequate knowledge and lack of experience of the Radiology Technologist are considered as malpractice and may lead to misdiagnosis. This study aims to highlight the role of the radiologic technologist in the detection of the least significant change (LSC) in the DXA method, as well as the identification of possible errors in this diagnostic examination, to improve the quality and accuracy of diagnosis and provide better guidance of the patients.

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