Executive Summary of the 2015 ISCD Position Development Conference on Advanced Measures From DXA and QCT: Fracture Prediction Beyond BMD

There have been many scientific advances in fracture risk prediction beyond bone density. The International Society for Clinical Densitometry (ISCD) convened a Position Development Conference (PDC) on the use of dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry beyond measurement of bone mineral density for fracture risk assessment, including trabecular bone score and hip geometry measures. Previously, no guidelines for nonbone mineral density DXA measures existed. Furthermore, there have been advances in the analysis of quantitative computed tomography (QCT) including finite element analysis, QCT of the hip, DXA-equivalent hip measurements, and opportunistic screening that were not included in the previous ISCD positions. The topics and questions for consideration were developed by the ISCD Board of Directors and the Scientific Advisory Committee and were designed to address the needs of clinical practitioners. Three task forces were created and asked to conduct comprehensive literature reviews to address specific questions. The task forces included participants from many countries and a variety of interests including academic institutions and private health care delivery organizations. Representatives from industry participated as consultants to the task forces. Task force reports with proposed position statements were then presented to an international panel of experts with backgrounds in bone densitometry. The PDC was held in Chicago, Illinois, USA, contemporaneously with the Annual Meeting of the ISCD, February 26 through February 28, 2015. This Executive Summary describes the methodology of the 2015 PDC on advanced measures from DXA and QCT and summarizes the approved official positions. Six separate articles in this issue will detail the rationale, discussion, and additional research topics for each question the task forces addressed.