Your doctor will consider all of your individual risk factors before deciding if treatment is necessary.
This is because other factors, such as age, sex or whether you have previously had a fall, also determine if you're likely to sustain a fracture. coronal centering point is directly over the lumbar vertebra, which corresponds to the posterior third of the abdomen. Z scores are usually used for children and people under 30 who are still growing.Īlthough BMD results provide a good indication of bone strength, the results of a bone density scan will not necessarily predict whether you'll get a fracture.įor example, someone with low bone density may never break a bone, whereas someone with average bone density may have several fractures. expiration (to minimize superimposition of the diaphragm over the upper lumbar spine) centering point. If your Z score is below -2, your bone density is lower than it should be for someone of your age.
The difference is calculated as a standard deviation (SD) score. Your resultsĪ bone density scan compares your bone density with the bone density expected for a young healthy adult or a healthy adult of your own age, gender and ethnicity. You'll be able to go home after you have had it done. This is because normal C-spine X-rays cannot exclude significant injury, and because a missed C-spine fracture can lead to death, or life long neurological deficit. This information will be used to produce an image of the scanned area. Clinical considerations are particularly important in the context of Cervical spine (C-spine) injury. Some of the X-rays that are passed through your body will be absorbed by tissue, such as fat and bone.Īn X-ray detector inside the scanning arm measures the amount of X-rays that have passed through your body. The forearm may be scanned for certain health problems, such as hyperparathyroidism, or if scans are not possible in the hip or spine. This will usually be your hip and lower spine to check for weak bones (osteoporosis).īut as bone density varies in different parts of the skeleton, more than one part of your body may be scanned. The scan will usually be carried out by a radiographer, a specialist in taking X-ray images.ĭuring the scan, a large scanning arm will be passed over your body to measure bone density in the centre of the skeleton.Īs the scanning arm is moved slowly over your body, a narrow beam of low-dose X-rays will be passed through the part of your body being examined. You'll need to keep still during the scan so the images are not blurred. When you have a DEXA scan you lie on your back on a flat, open X-ray table. DONCASTER AND BASSETLAW HOSPITALS/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY