Assessing Bone Mineral Density Using Radiofrequency Echographic Multi-Spectrometry

Radiofrequency echographic multi-spectrometry is a noninvasive technique for estimating bone mineral density, or BMD, a measure of mineral concentrations in bones that indicate bone strength.

Position the human patient in a supine position.

Apply ultrasound gel to the femoral neck to enhance signal clarity.

The femoral neck is a region of the femur, bones that span from the hip to the knees, and is particularly susceptible to fractures when BMD is low.

Place the ultrasound probe parallel to the femoral head-neck axis to assess BMD at the fracture-prone site.

Adjust the scan depth to position the target region within the beam's focal zone, ensuring optimal resolution.

The probe emits high-frequency ultrasound waves through the bone, which reflect at a speed that increases with higher BMD. 

The probe captures these reflected waves, generating a spectrum that provides data for quantifying BMD.

To begin, switch on the monitor by pressing the power button on the top left edge of the unit. 

Tap the icon of the software at the top right of the screen. Insert the user identifier and password, then tap the Start button. Press the power button on the device to switch on the main unit.

Next, measure the weight and height of the subject using a standard scale with a stadiometer.

Then, ask the subject to lay supine on a medical bed, with the lower limbs positioned in a neutral position.

For subject registration, fill in the registration form, including first name, surname, date of birth, gender, menopause age, ethnicity, weight, and height. The software automatically calculates the age and body mass index.

Now, choose Femur for the femoral scan and select either Right or Left from the drop-down menu.

Then, tap the Save button. After a few seconds, a live scan window will be shown.

For scan acquisition, place the probe on the skin above the femoral neck, parallel to the head-neck axis, to visualize the proximal femur profile.

Using the buttons on the left side of the touch screen, adjust the scan depth and the depth of the focus identified by the red line in the ultrasound image. Ensure the target bone interface is in the ultrasound beam focal zone at about halfway through the depth of the B-mode image.

Now, tap the Start button or press the space bar on the keyboard to initialize the scan. 

After the ultrasound image capture, wait for the software to automatically perform the analysis, showing the message: Analysis in progress. The processing could take a few minutes. Press the Stop button to cancel the processing.

Wait until the end of the analysis to get the report displayed on the screen.