Opportunistic Screening for Bone Disease Using Abdominal CT Scans Obtained for other Reasons in Newly Diagnosed IBD Patients

Summary Bone disease is prevalent among patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), though bone density screening remains underutilized. We used CT scans performed for other indications in IBD patients to identify and monitor osteopenia using CT attenuation values at the lumbar spine. Significant rates of bone disease were detected which would have otherwise gone undiagnosed.