LAKEPORT, Calif. – A bone-density exam is painless, quick, very informative and able to diagnose osteoporosis or any loss in bone-density.

The bone-density exam office is conveniently located on the Sutter Lakeside Hospital campus at 5132 Hill Road East in Lakeport.

Exams are scheduled on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 8:20 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the outpatient lab office building (to the south of the main hospital building).

A bone-density exam, which measures density in the hip and spine, is noninvasive and exposes patients to lower levels of radiation than a bone scan. The radiation exposure is less than that of a chest X-ray.

This test is particularly important to menopausal women who are at high risk for rapid bone loss, which may lead to osteoporosis.

Bone loss can be caused by hormonal changes, chemotherapy or simple aging. If diagnosed, it can almost always be treated, in the hopes of preventing further bone loss.

For more information or to make an appointment, please contact the Sutter Lakeside Hospital Medical Imaging Department at 707-262-5030.