Clinics & Centres

Osteoporosis Program - Services

Clinical Services – Disease Management

The Osteoporosis Clinic at University Health Network is based out of Toronto General Hospital.

We see a broad spectrum of patients at our clinic. As osteoporosis is most prevalent in postmenopausal women, most of our patients are women over the age of 50. About 20% of our patients are men, and we also serve younger patients and those with complex medical problems that put them at greater risk for bone loss and fracture. These include transplant, renal, diabetic and cancer patients, as well as those on steroid medications. Many of our patients have already had a fragility fracture, and are treated to reduce the risk of future fractures.

The interdisciplinary clinic team assists individuals diagnosed with osteoporosis in the optimal management of their disease, with a focus on reducing fracture risk and improving quality of life. Our physicians specialize in a wide variety of disciplines, including:

• endocrinology
• general internal medicine
• geriatrics
• interventional radiology
• orthopaedics
• rheumatology
• women’s health

Please note that the osteoporosis clinic operates on a referral basis. To refer a patient, please download and fax the Osteoporosis Clinic referral form. To refer a patient for a bone density test, please visit www.cesha.ca.

Diagnostic Services

The Bone Density and Body Composition Laboratory at the Osteoporosis Clinic is part of the Centre of Excellence in Skeletal Health Assessment, a group of bone diagnostic centers in partnership with the Department of Medical Imaging at University Health Network and Mount Sinai Hospital. Our lab is equipped with state of the art diagnostic instruments, including a DXA (Dual-energy X-ray Absorptiometry) machine, currently considered to be the gold standard device for diagnosing osteoporosis.

Other diagnostic tests (used primarily for research studies) include:

• heel QUS (Quantitative Ultrasonography)
• HRpQCT and QCT (High Resolution peripheral Quantitative Computed Tomography)
• MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging), and
• MRTA (Mechanical Response Tissue Analyzer)

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