PoroUS GmbH

Osteoporosis is a widespread medical condition among older people. It causes the bones to weaken and become more likely to break. Osteoporosis and bone fracture risk are currently evaluated by looking at clinical risk factors and measuring bone mineral density (BMD). The lower the BMD is, the higher the risk of osteoporotic fractures in the future. However, most bone fractures occur in people who do not have very low BMD values. This means that osteoporosis and fracture risk are often not diagnosed. Many of these non-diagnosed patients would benefit from treatment to reduce the probability of bone fractures.
An X-ray device called DXA is the main tool used to diagnose osteoporosis and fracture risk clinically. DXA measures two-dimensional BMD in the hip and spine. The POROUS ultrasound device measures various properties of the outer layer of the bone in the lower leg. It has several advantages over DXA: (1) its image resolution is higher and three-dimensional; (2) it can detect bone changes without radiation; (3) it can detect these bone changes early and how they change over time.
For this clinical study, we will recruit men and women over 55 years old. Most will have clinical risk factors, such as background diseases, for developing osteoporosis. The study is anticipated to last 4 years.
Our major research questions are:
* Can the POROUS ultrasound device predict fracture risk?
* How does its performance compare to DXA?
* What is the safety of the new device?
The participants will:
* answer questions about their medical history.
* be measured for height and weight, and take a physical test.
* be examined for the presence of 'silent' fractures in the spine.
* be examined at the beginning and end of the study with the two devices, DXA and POROUS.
* be called by telephone every six months and asked if they suffer from new bone fractures, take any medication that might affect their bones, or if their health status has changed.
The participants will be monitored for 3 years.