DEXA Scan to

Detect
Osteoporosis
DEXA scan

 Information
 Common questions
 About DEXA scan
 Who should have a DEXA scan?
Preparition for DEXA scan
 What happens during a DEXA scan
 Use in paediatrics
 Interpretion
 What are the risks?
What is DEXA Scanning? (About Dexa
Scan )

 DEXA scan is an instrument

 used to measure the density
 of bones. DEXA stands for
 dual energy X-ray
 absorptiometry. It is now
also called

DXA scan. Measurements of bone mineral density

are important in many areas of science, but its
most important use is found in clinical
assessment of osteoporosis (which is a disease in
which there is decreased bone mineral
density, possibly due to menopause, malnutrition
and various other factors).
Who should have a DEXA scan?

• estrogen deficiency in women at

clinical risk for osteoporosis
• evidence of vertebral
abnormalities
• long term steroid use
• patients with primary
hyperparathyroidism
• the need for monitoring to
assess response to approved
drug therapies for osteoporosis.
• People with Gorhams vanishing
bone disease /
Lymphangiomatosis
About DEXA scan
Working of the DEXA Scan
In a DEXA scan, the patient is placed
between two sources of X-ray
radiation
and a detector. The two sources of X-
ray radiation emit
X-rays of different energy levels.
These X-rays
penetrate the body depending on the
density of the
body tissues i.e. denser tissues do
not allow X-rays to
pass through. The X-rays transmitted
out on the other
side are detected by an electronic
detector, which then
calculates the density of the entire
tissue region
between the X-ray source and the
detector.
 It also calculates the density of specific tissue such as bone by subtracting
the other soft tissue absorption value from the source, and hence can gives
Preparition 0f DEXA scan

You probably won't need to make any preparations

before scan. If the patient usually take
medication, continue to take this as usual unless his/her
doctor specifically tells no.

• It's best to wear light clothing that doesn't have metal

fasteners over y spine or tummy areas. Remove any
metal jewellery that wear in navel because this can
interfere with the scan of spine.

• A radiographer (a health professional trained to perform

imaging procedures) will operate the scanning
equipment.

• A DEXA scan isn't recommended for pregnant women,

unless there is an urgent medical reason. Please tell you
radiographer if you could be pregnant.

 Patient may be asked to sign a consent form. This

confirms that he understand the benefits, risks and
possible alternatives to the procedure and have given
his permission for it to go ahead.
What happens during a DEXA scan

 The scan usually takes about 10 minutes. Patient

may be asked to remove clothing and put on a
gown.
 Patient will be taken to the X-ray room and asked
to lie down on an X-ray table. The radiographer
will operate the scanner from behind a window.
He or she will be able to see, hear and speak to
pt. during the procedure.
What happens during a DEXA
scan
 The X-ray machine will slowly pass over your
body and send X-rays through the bones being
tested, usually the hip and lower spine.
 A detector will measure how much X-ray radiation
passes through the bones and sends the
information to a computer. It can take as little as
10 seconds to scan each bone - it's important to
lie very still while this is happening.
Current practice in paediatrics

However, it seems that DXA is still in its early days in

paediatrics, and there are widely acknowledged
limitations and disadvantages with DXA.
Some clinics may routinely carry out DXA scans on
paediatric patients with conditions such as nutritional
rickets, lupus, and Turner Syndrome. DXA has been
demonstrated to measure skeletal maturity and body
fat composition and has been used to evaluate the
effects of pharmaceutical therapy. It may also aid
paediatricians in diagnosing and monitoring treatment
How do you interpret the test
results and who is a candidate for
treatment?
• A DEXA scan report
compares the patient's bone
mineral density values with
those of young normal
patient (T score) and with
age matched normal patient
(Z score). By comparing a
patient's bone density
against there peers, a low
score indicates there may
be a reason other than age
How do you interpret the test
results and who is a candidate for
treatment?

 Patients risk factors for osteoporosis that should play

a part in the decision to begin treatment include: a
maternal history of a hip fracture, any previous
fracture after the age of fifty, tall height at age of
25, poor health, some sedatives and anticonvulsant
drugs, and the inability to rise from a chair without the
use of the arms. The current treatment
recommendations are the start of drug therapy to
reduce the risk fracture for all women with a bone
mineral density T score of less than -2 without other
 interpret ion of the test
results
• between 0 and -1 (for example, -
0.5), your bone density is normal
• between -1 and -2.5, this is classed
as osteopenia - this means bone
density is lower than normal, but
don't yet have osteoporosis
• below -2.5, this is classed as
osteoporosis
• sometimes Z score be given in a
scan. This is a measure of how the
bone density compares to the
average for a person of his own age.
This score isn't used to diagnose
osteoporosis, but can be used along
with age and gender to calculate
risk of having a hip fracture in the
next 10 years.
What are the risks?

 Radiation exposure
 Less then the amount of radiation that one
receives on an airline flight from Delhi to London
and back.
 There are a certain group of individuals who
should not have the Dexa Scan test. These are
 Women who are pregnant or who think they might
could be pregnant
 Anyone who has had another “contrast x-ray”
within the last seven days (examples--upper GI
test, CAT scans…)
 Anyone who has had a nuclear scan within the
last seven days (examples--bone scan, thyroid
study…)
What are the risks & benifits

 The dexa scan is used to measure bone mineral

density as opposed to a regular x-ray or CAT scan for
a variety of reasons. First, the dexa scan is extremely
accurate; even more so than an x-ray. For bone
density loss to show up on a regular x-ray, a person
would have to lose 20-30% of their bone mass.
Second, the dexa scan requires much less radiation
exposure than a CAT scan or “regular” x-ray
(Radiographic Absorptiometry). Ironically and
interestingly, a person is exposed to more radiation on
a “coast-to-coast” airline flight than during a dexa
scan! Lastly, dexa scans are much less costly than
other tests. The current cost (January 2009) for a
dexa scan is around Rs.1000/-for W.B. & 400/- for
single site,in Govt. institute, it might be worth your
while to have this test if your doctor advises it or you
DEXA SCANNING FANTASTIC
FOR MEASURING B M D

The dexa scan is a fantastic

test for measuring bone
mineral density&body fat
compositin. It is
affordable, painless and
extremely accurate. Most
definitely this is a test worthy of
your time in relation to
osteoporosis diagnosis and
treatment.
 PROTECTION IS
ESSENTIAL