Could you please tell me how t scores of bones in the spine can measure such different values?

 I have just been diagnosed with osteoporosis in my spine. M my spine t score average is -3.1. I was told that 4 vertebrae were measured and these varied from -2.2 to -4.4. 

The lady I talked to at the hospital said to only take notice of the average score. However great variations throughout the spine sound more worrying?

I can understand your concern at the variation in the T-score results for your spine on your recent DXA scan. The average T-score is generally the one used when discussing the result and subsequent need for treatment, but occasionally variations between individual vertebrae are noted.

When interpreting your DXA scan result the person doing the scan looks carefully at the visual image that has been created. There are a number of factors which could influence the result and most of these are referred to as 'anatomical artefacts'. They include degenerative diseases (such as osteoarthritis), any previous vertebral fractures and any metal obstructions such as zips etc. It is also important for the scan operator to position you correctly and ensure the correct vertebrae have been used for the analysis. That said all of these things falsely elevate the T-score as they appear to increase the bone density.

It maybe worth discussing these results further with your doctor. In some cases when there is a large discrepancy between vertebral bone density measurements further investigations, such as a plain x-ray, may help to identify the cause.

I hope this information is useful, if you would like to discuss this further please contact us again.


Best wishes

Helpline Nurses
National Osteoporosis Society