Fda Approves Easy New Test For Osteoporosis

The Food and Drug Administration on Friday approved a device that can diagnose osteoporosis in 10 seconds using ultrasound to scan a woman’s heel, a new technology that is dramatically faster and considerably less expensive than the equipment and procedure now in use.

Currently, a patient with suspected osteoporosis - an increasing brittleness of the bones - must visit a radiological facility and lie stretched out on a table while a specialized X-ray machine takes 10 minutes or longer to scan selected sites across her body.

The new machine, a portable device known as the Sahara Clinical Bone Sonometer, is manufactured by Hologic Inc., of Waltham, Mass., and is in widespread use in Europe, Asia and Latin America.

The machine, which will be available to physicians immediately, will cost patients about $40 to use, the company said. It is intended for women at risk for the bone fractures resulting from osteoporosis. The FDA estimates 23 million American women may be suffering from some degree of decreased bone strength.