Why We Need to Be Treating Osteoporosis for Our Compression Fracture Patients

In this episode, host Dr. Jacob Fleming interviews Dr. Douglas Beall about the importance of interventional radiologists stepping up to address the entire picture of osteoporosis and taking the initiative to treat the underlying cause of the disease. This is the first installment of our 4-part BackTable VI series on osteoporosis treatment.

Dr. Beall starts by stating his mission: he not only performs vertebral augmentation; he also offers DXA scans and T-score analysis, prescribes osteoanabolic agents, and follows up with patients over time. Dr. Beall cites data showing that both vertebral augmentation and osteoporosis medications can improve patients’ quality of life and significantly reduce mortality.

Even with newer osteoanabolic agents like Teriparatide, Abaloparatide, and Romosozumab being approved for treatment, osteoporosis screening rates have dropped in recent years. This is a pressing concern, since osteoporosis is a growing societal burden, given the increasing population of elderly patients. Furthermore, treatment of osteoporosis allows patients to regain mobility, which reduces comorbidities. We finish this episode by discussing how IRs have the potential to learn about osteoanabolic medications, counsel patients, and take ownership of this disease process.