Is a condition characterized by low bone density, which simply means there is less bone compared to when you were young and your bones were at their peak, healthy stage. Because there is less bone density, the bones become brittle, weak and more likely to fracture.

Certain factors are linked to the development of osteoporosis or contribute to the likelihood of developing the condition. These are called risk factors. Your physician may recommend a bone density test if:

1. You have gone through menopause, or
2. You have major risk factor for osteoporosis such as menopause before the age of 45, or
3. You have family history of osteoporosis.

Because bone density test is safe, simple and quick, there are no special preparations necessary for density tst.

If you are pregnant, you should not undergo any x-ray procedure unless advised otherwise by your physician.

MRI is done for many reasons. It is used to find problems such as tumors, bleeding, injury, blood vessel diseases, or infection. MRI also may be done to provide more information about a problem seen on an X-Ray, Ultrasound scan, or CT Scan. Contrast material may be used during MRI to show abnormal tissue more clearly. An MRI scan can be done for the:

• Head. MRI can look at the brain for tumors, an aneursym, bleeding in the brain, nerve injury, and other problems, such as damage caused by a stroke. MRI can also find problems of the eyes and optic nerves and the ears and auditory nerves.
• Chest. MRI of the chest can look at the heart, the valves, and coronary blood vessels. It can show if the heart or lungs are damaged. MRI of the chest may also be used to look for breast or lung cancer.
• Blood Vessels. Using MRI to look at blood vessels and the flow of blood through them is called Magnetic Resonance Angiography (MRA). It can find problems of the arteries and veins, such as an aneurysm, a blocked blood vessel, or the torn lining of a blood vessel (dissection). Sometimes contrast material is used to see the blood vessels more clearly.
• Abdomen and Pelvis. MRI can find problems in the organs and structures in the belly, such as the liver, gallbladder, pancreas, kidneys, and bladder. It is used to find tumors, bleeding, infection, and blockage. In women, it can look at the uterus and ovaries. In men, it looks at the prostate.
• Bones and joints. MRI can check for problems of the bones and joints, such as arthritis, problems with the temporomandibular joint, bone marrow problems, bone tumors, cartilage problems, torn ligaments or tendons, or infection.
• Spine. MRI can check the discs and nerves of the spine for conditions such as spinal stenosis, disc bulges, and spinal tumors

Patients who have any metallic materials within the body must notify their physician prior to the examination or inform the MRI staff. Metallic chips, materials, surgical clips, or foreign material (artificial joints, metallic bone plates, or prosthetic devices, etc.) can significantly distort the images obtained by the MRI scanner. Patients who have heart pacemakers, metal implants, or metal chips or clips in or around the eyeballs cannot be scanned with an MRI because of the risk that the magnet may move the metal in these areas. Similarly, patients with artificial heart valves, metallic ear implants, bullet fragments, and chemotherapy or insulin pumps should not have MRI scanning.

All metallic objects on the body are removed prior to obtaining an MRI scan. MRI scanning requires that the patient lie still for best accuracy. Patients lie within a closed environment inside the magnetic machine. Relaxation is important during the procedure and patients are asked to breathe normally. Interactin with the MRI technologist is maintained throughout the test. There are loud, repetitive clicking noises which occur during the test as the scanning proceeds. Occasionally, patients require injections of liquid intravenously to enhance the images which are obtained. The MRI scanning time depends on the exact area of the body studied, but ranges from half an hour to an hour and a half.

Ultrasound is a useful way of examining many of the body's internal organs, including but not limited to the:

• heart and blood vessels, including the abdominal aorta and its major branches
• liver
• gallbladder
• spleen
• pancreas
• kidneys
• bladder
• uterus, ovaries
• eyes
• thyroid and parathyroid glands
• scrotum (testicles)
• brain in infants
• hips in infants

You should wear comfortable, loose-fitting clothing for your ultrasound exam. You may need to remove all clothing and jewelry in the area to be examined. You may be asked to wear a gown during the procedure. Preparation for the procedure will depend on the type of examination you will have. For some scans your doctor may instruct you not to eat or drink for as many as 12 hours before appointment. For others you may be asked to drink up to six glasses of water two hours prior to your exam and avoid urinating so that your bladder is full when the scan begins.

BENEFITS

• Most ultrasound scanning is noninvasive (no needles or injections).
• Occasionally, an ultrasound exam may be temporarily uncomfortable, but it is almost never painful.
• Ultrasound is widely available, easy-to-use and less expensive than other imaging methods.
• Ultrasound imaging is extremely safe and does not use any ionizing radiation.
• Ultrasound scanning gives a clear picture of soft tissues that do not show up well on x-ray images.
• Ultrasound is the preffered imaging modality for the diagnosis and monitoring of pregnant women and their unborn babies.
• Ultrasound provides real-time imaging, making it a good tool for guiding minimally invasive procedures such as needle biopsies and fluid aspiration.

RISKS

• For standard diagnostic ultrasound, there are no known harmful effects on humans.