[Imaging of metabolic bone diseases].

Osteoporosis, a chronic progressive disease, is the most common metabolic bone disease and can affect almost the entire skeleton. Osteoporosis is a systemic skeletal disease characterized by low bone mass and microarchitectural deterioration of bone tissue, with a consequent increase in bone fragility. The disease often does not become clinically apparent until a fracture occurs. However, the sensitivity, examination time, cost, and radiation exposure of the different imaging techniques differ greatly. Imaging options include conventional x-ray images, US, QUS, SPA, DPA, quantitative CT (QCT), densitometry, dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA), MRI, QMR, SPECT and bone scanning.