Disruption of bone densitometry practice in a Northern Italy Orthopedic Hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract: Summary: We report the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on bone densitometry practice in a Northern Italy Orthopedic Hospital, comparing the first 4 months of 2020 with the corresponding period of 2019. COVID-19 pandemic had a disruptive effect on the daily practice of bone densitometry (about − 50% of examinations). Introduction: The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic radically changes hospital organization to guarantee patient and staff safety, with the unavoidable cessation of normal outpatient activities. We report the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) testing in a Northern Italy Orthopedic Hospital. Methods: We analyzed the number of DXA examinations performed at our Institution before, during the lockdown, and immediately after outpatient practice reopening (January 24th to May 27th, 2020), comparing them with the corresponding period of 2019. Results: The number of DXA examinations showed a tremendous reduction from n = 1247 performed from January to May 2019 to n = 623 of 2020 (− 49.9%). No exams were performed in April 2020 (− 100%). On May 2020, a faint resume was observed, with n = 43 DXA (− 84.4% compared to 2019). Conclusion: COVID-19 pandemic had a disruptive effect on the daily practice of bone densitometry with DXA. After reopening, we observed a persistence of DXA examination reduction, confirming the fact that returning to normality will probably be a slow process.