Dexa Scan Technology

A dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry, or DEXA scan uses low-dose x-rays to test bone density.

Here’s how it works:

• While laying on a soft table, a scanner passes over your lower spine and hip
• Central DEXA scan is the best test to:
  • Diagnose bone loss and osteoporosis
  • See how well osteoporosis medicine is working
  • Predict risk of future bone fractures

Osteoporosis is a disease of the bones. It happens when you lose too much bone, make too little bone or both. As a result, your bones become weak and may break from a minor fall or, in serious cases, even from simple actions, like sneezing or bumping into furniture, and most commonly occur in the hip, spine and wrist.

About 54 million Americans have osteoporosis and low bone mass, placing them at increased risk for osteoporosis. Studies suggest that approximately one in two women and up to one in four men age 50 and older will break a bone due to osteoporosis.

DEXA is the gold standard for determining bone density and osteoporosis to determine your risk for fractures and whether you should begin treatment. Experts recommend the following for osteoporosis screening and bone scans for the following people:

• All women over the age of 65.
• Postmenopausal women under age 65 with the following risk factors:
  • History of bone fracture as an adult
  • Current smoking
  • History of ever taking oral steroids for more than 3 months
  • Body weight under 127 pounds
  • Having an immediate family member with a fragility fracture (a broken bone from a minor injury, suggesting osteoporosis).
• All men over the age of 70.