IBEX bone health screening on mammography systems

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This project will demonstrate a unique method of screening for osteoporosis using widely available mammography services and screening programs.Osteoporosis is a condition that affects over 20% of women over the age of 50\. Fragility fractures resulting from the condition have a devastating impact on health, mortality and quality of life and cost the global healthcare system over $400bn per year. Following a fragility fracture:* 40% of patients are unable to walk independently* 60% encounter difficulties with at least one essential daily activity such as bathing* 80% are restricted in other activities such as driving or shopping* 27% enter a nursing home for the first timeDespite effective drug treatments being available to reduce risk of fractures following an osteoporosis diagnosis, there is no routine osteoporosis screening program. The condition is currently 80% underdiagnosed and women will typically suffer multiple fractures prior to a diagnosis.The IBEX Bone Health (IBEX BH) software product has been developed to opportunistically identify bone health from routine X-rays that have been taken for other investigations, for example following a fracture.This project will demonstrate the feasibility that the BH product can be extended to deliver a bone health measure from a simple wrist X-ray collected using existing mammography equipment and services alongside mammograms collected for breast cancer screening and treatment.Mammography provides a unique opportunity to identify poor bone health, since women at risk of osteoporosis are in the most at-risk demographic for developing osteoporosis. Aligning with their routine breast screening appointments offers a perfect opportunity to identify osteoporosis in this at-risk group by taking an additional wrist X-ray during their hospital appointment.The long-term vision is that all women have their bone density measured alongside their routine mammogram and are given the treatment to avoid debilitating fractures and live healthy, active lives.