Bone Density Testing

Dual Ener­gy X‑ray Absorp­tiom­e­try (DEXA), also known as Bone Den­si­ty test­ing, is used to diag­nose osteo­poro­sis and/​or osteope­nia. This scan uti­lizes very low dose radi­a­tion to exam­ine the den­si­ty of the bone tis­sue to deter­mine the effects of osteo­poro­sis and assess the risk for poten­tial fractures. 

Mul­ti­ple fac­tors are tak­en into con­sid­er­a­tion in com­bi­na­tion with this test­ing to deter­mine a patien­t’s risk and con­di­tion. Dur­ing the pro­ce­dure, an X‑ray machine is used to scan the hip and spine while the patient is lying on their back. This test­ing is typ­i­cal­ly com­plet­ed in less than 10 minutes.

There is no prepa­ra­tion for the exam, how­ev­er, it’s best to wear loose, com­fort­able cloth­ing that is free of met­al. Upon com­ple­tion of the exam, you may go about your nor­mal activ­i­ty and diet. Your exam will be read by our Radi­ol­o­gist and a diag­nos­tic med­ical report will sent to your refer­ring physician. 

To sched­ule an exam, or if you have any ques­tions pri­or to your exam, please call Radi­ol­o­gy at 630−545−7880.