What is one limitation of a vertebral fracture assessment?

The chosen answer highlights a significant limitation of vertebral fracture assessment (VFA), which is primarily focused on the examination of vertebral bodies. This method is designed to identify and assess fractures of the spine but does not provide information about surrounding soft tissue structures or abnormalities. Soft tissue evaluation can be crucial in understanding the full context of a patient's skeletal health, as issues such as muscle degeneration, intervertebral disc disease, or other soft tissue complications may influence the overall assessment of bone health and fracture risk. Therefore, the inability to measure soft tissue abnormalities indeed represents a key limitation of the vertebral fracture assessment.

The other choices do not accurately reflect the limitations of such assessments. For instance, VFA is actually designed to be performed with low doses of radiation, making the second option incorrect. While some specialists may interpret the results, the assessment itself can be performed by trained technologists or radiographers, making the assertion that it can only be conducted by specialists inaccurate. Additionally, VFA is specifically developed to assess fractures accurately, which counters the idea that it cannot do so effectively.