New 3D scan could replace Radiation-Heavy CT for spine bone checks
NCT ID NCT03638674
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tested a new imaging method called 3D-DXA to measure bone density in the spine, comparing it to standard CT scans. Researchers enrolled 120 adults who already needed a CT scan. The goal was to see if the 3D-DXA technique, which uses less radiation, could give equally accurate results. If it works, it could offer a safer way to diagnose bone fractures and osteoporosis.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could lead to a safer, radiation-free way to diagnose bone fractures and osteoporosis using a simple DXA scan.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, completed study focused on comparing imaging techniques, not a treatment trial. The new method may not prove accurate enough to replace CT scans in practice.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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120 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Feb 2019
- Finished
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Aug 2021
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * The patient must have given their free and informed consent and signed the consent form * The patient must be a member or beneficiary of a health insurance plan * The patient is at least 18 years old * The patient has been referred by a doctor for a PET/CT (Positron Emission Tomography-Computed Tomography) scan or a SPECT (Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography) scan in the Nuclear Medicine and Medical Biophysics Department of Nimes hospital or a bone scan including a SPECT/CT (single photon emission computed tomography coupled with a CT scan) Exclusion Criteria: * The subject is participating in an interventional study, or is in a period of exclusion determined by a previous study * The subject refuses to sign the consent * It is impossible to give the subject informed information * The patients is under judicial protection or state guardianship * The patient is pregnant or breast feeding * The subject has a observably serious scoliosis * Subject has previously had spinal or hip surgery * Subject weighs more than 200kg and/or is more than 2 meters tall by 5+65cm wide and 70cm diameter * Patient uses an insulin pump or wears an insulin or morphine tubing or any attenuating equipment affecting the hips or lumbar spine * Subject has already had an X-ray exam using a contrast product such as barium in the 7 days preceding the visit * Subject having undergone γ radiation exam in the 15 days preceding the visit
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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CHU Nimes
Nîmes, 30029, France
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Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.