If you are referred for a DEXA scan, we will offer you an appointment at either Aldershot Centre for Health or at St Mark’s Hospital. If you require a hoist to transfer onto the scanning table, please let us know as this may affect where you are able to attend for your scan, and additional time will be provided to facilitate the transfer. 

DEXA scanning, (dual energy x-ray absorptiometry, DXA or bone densitometry) is an easy and accurate way to measure density or strength of your bones. It is used not only to diagnose but also to assess the degree of osteopenia and osteoporosis. This can be used to guide treatment options for wide range of conditions, such as breast cancer, rheumatoid arthritis or coeliac disease, monitoring for any impact on your bone health. 

If you are aged between 12 and 55 we will need to ask whether there is any possibility of you being pregnant. We are required by law to ask this regardless of your gender so please do not be alarmed by this. 

Please fill in the safety questionnaire included with your appointment letter (if you received one) and bring it with you for your scan. If you have any queries about any of the questions, these can be asked during your appointment before the scan starts.  

Please let us know if: 

  • there is any chance of you being pregnant. 
  • you have limited mobility and will require assistance to get on and off a couch.  
  • you will need an interpreter. We are not able to use family members or friends to interpret. 

We will be scanning your lower back and / or one hip – please avoid wearing too much clothing covering these areas or jewellery over these areas. Some examples of things to avoid are jeans with rivets, belly button jewellery, underwear with diamantes, zip fly or zip pockets and underwired bras. 

Leggings or jogging bottoms are usually suitable (again check there are no zip pockets, or metal eyelets on drawstring waistbands), and pull-on sports bra/crop tops are preferable to underwired clip-fastening bras wherever possible. 

If you do not own any suitable clothing then you may be asked to change into a hospital gown or adjust your clothing so that it does not overly the area we are scanning, as this could obscure the image leading to inaccurate results. 

Your scan will be performed by a radiographer who will explain the procedure to you and check the answers to your safety questionnaire. 

You will be asked to lie on your back on a flat bed. 

The x-ray detector or scanner will move slowly over you – it is important that you remain still as movement reduces the quality of the scan. 

The scanner will move over the area of your spine and hips. 

The scan takes approximately 15 minutes. 

On completion you can get dressed and leave the department. 

X-rays are a type of radiation. We are all exposed to natural background radiation every day from the sun, food we eat, and the ground. Exposure to medical x-rays carries a small additional risk, but your doctor feels that this risk is outweighed by the benefits of having the test and the amount of radiation you will receive is kept to as low as reasonably possible.

The amount of radiation used in a DEXA scan is extremely small and the similar to the amount of natural background radiation received every day. 

After the examination is completed, you will be free to resume your daily activities. 

You will not receive the results of the scan immediately as the images and data obtained need to be carefully analysed. The scans will be sent to your consultant or GP who referred you for analysis, which can take up to four weeks. 

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