Lila Hayes is an 84-year-old woman who exhibits back pain and a cut on her head when entering the ED.
She tells the ED physician that she fell in her kitchen, hurt her back, and banged her head.
She tells her orthopedic surgeon that she knows she has "weak bones" and is taking calcium and
vitamin D supplements. Plain x-ray images reveal compression fractures of T8-T9, along with herniation
of the disk between T9 and T10. Later her physician orders a DEXA scan. - Module 6 - Case Study 6.13
Which vertebrae were fractured? - Thoracic
Lila says she has "weak bones." What condition does she likely have? - Osteoporosis
It is possible that Lila will need a diskectomy to treat her herniated disk. What is a discectomy? -
Removal of a Disk
What does a DEXA scan reveal? - Bone Density