Could focused population screening detect osteoporosis earlier and imp
rove the management of this major health care problem? Quantitative ul
trasound of the calcaneus is currently being proposed as a suitable sc
reening technique. Correlations between quantitative ultrasound of the
calcaneus and dual energy x-ray absorptiometry of bone mineral densit
y of the spine and proximal femur are not high enough to reliably pred
ict bone mineral density at the lumbar spine or proximal femur from th
e ultrasound results. Some ongoing longitudinal studies suggest that q
uantitative ultrasound may none the less detect individuals at increas
ed risk of fracture, but ifs use for mass screening for osteoporosis w
ould be premature.