Diagnosis of Osteoporosis	

	There have been major advances recently in the development of techniques for monitoring changes in bone mass, and these have received widespread acceptance. The state-of-the-art technique is dual-beam X-ray absorptiometry, in which two X-ray sources are used to allow precise measurements of bone mass in specific and strategic areas of the skeleton, such as the lumbar spine, the neck of the femur, the forearm bones, or in the total skeleton. Other techniques include dual-beam photon absorptiometry computerised tomography, neutron-activation analysis, and the previously used method of single-beam photon absorptiometry. These techniques may be used to follow treatment regimens and assess the risk of later development of osteoporosis. Their usefulness is, however, still somewhat controversial.