Vertebral Fracture Assessment
Also called: VFA, spine imaging for fractures, spine imaging on DXA, Spinal x-ray, lateral spine x-ray, Spine X-ray for fracture, vertebral fracture X-ray, kyphosis X-ray, Vertebral compression fracture imaging, VFA scan, spinal fracture detection
What it means
Vertebral Fracture Assessment (VFA) is a side-view spine image, usually taken on a DXA machine, used to spot hidden compression fractures in the vertebrae.
Finding a spine fracture you didn't know about can change your diagnosis and treatment plan, even if your bone density score looks okay.
Vertebral Fracture Assessment, or VFA, is a scan that takes a side-view (lateral) picture of your spine, usually done on the same DXA machine used for your bone density test. It lets your doctor look for compression fractures in the vertebrae, the small bones that stack up to form your spine, without needing a separate X-ray visit.
These fractures often happen quietly, with no major pain, so people can have them and not know it. Finding one matters a lot: a vertebral compression fracture found on VFA counts as a diagnosis of osteoporosis on its own, even if your T-score from the bone density test looks fine. It can also change what treatment options your doctor discusses with you.
VFA is especially useful in older adults, since arthritis changes, prior spine surgery, scoliosis, or calcified blood vessels can throw off the accuracy of the spine bone density number itself. In these cases, your doctor may lean more on the hip (femoral neck) reading plus the VFA images to get a clearer, more complete picture of your bone health.
A Vertebral Fracture Assessment can reveal a hidden spine fracture even when your bone density score looks fine.
Where this leads
WordCurious what kind of hidden break a VFA is actually looking for. Here's what a vertebral compression fracture is.
Where the Academy teaches it
This page is the short version. The lessons teach it in full, with the context around it and a quiz to lock it in.
Related words
A vertebral compression fracture is when a bone in the spine collapses or flattens, often because the bone is…
A T-score shows how your bone density compares to a healthy young adult, measured in standard deviations, and it's…
Lumbar spine BMD is a measurement of bone density in the lower spine, usually vertebrae L1 to L4, taken during a…
Kyphosis is an excessive forward curve of the upper back, often called a dowager's hump, which in bone-health terms…
A fragility fracture is a broken bone caused by a fall or bump that normally wouldn't break a healthy bone, often at…
Education only, not medical advice. Decisions about tests, medications and treatment belong with your own doctor. OsteoStrong does not diagnose, treat or cure any disease.
