Bone Density Examination
September 2,2019 Update
Bone Density Examination
You can see the amount of bone mineral content by using low-energy X-rays to measure the bone density and by comparing those readings to the standard values. There is no pain and this can be performed in a short time.
The examination room is in Radio-Imaging Diagnostics 1 on the first floor and is done in examination room X-11.
Introduction to the examination room
Introduction to the examination room
| Examination room | Equipment |
|---|---|
| X-11 | HOLOGIC Discovery X-ray bone density measuring device (DEXA method) |
Time for the examination
| Part | Body position | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Lumbar spine (front/side) | Lie on your back | About 5 - 10 minutes |
| Wrist (forearm bone-radius) | Sitting | About 5 minutes |
| Femoral neck | Lie on your back | About 5 minutes |
| Entire skeleton | Lie on your back | About 8 minutes |
Important Points
- Please talk to your attending doctor or the engineer in charge if you are pregnant or have a possibility of being pregnant.
- The following objects are to be removed, and you may have to change into examination clothes.
- Metal products (necklaces, watches, magnetic patches, bras, etc.)
- Buttons, poultices, hand warmers, T-shirts (with rubber prints, lame (metal interwoven, etc.)
- Corsets, etc.
- Please feel free to contact us if there is anything that is not clear about the examination.
- Please contact the department that made the examination reservation if you are unable to visit our clinic on that day.
Bone Density Examination Q&A
- Q. What is osteoporosis?
- It is a disease where the density of the bone decreases due to a calcium shortage in the body and the bones become easy to break. Specifically, many older people and postmenopausal women experience this.
Early detection/early treatment, and periodic checkups of osteoporosis are important when there are low subjective symptoms.
- Q. Is it OK to eat when I am having an exam?
- There are no restrictions on meals or medications.
- Q. It is hard for me to lie on my back?
- The lumbar spine (front and side) and femur cannot be measured without lying on your back. Please consult with the attending doctor to evaluate using other parts.
- Q. Are there any differences in the accuracy of the testing methods?
- There are several types of bone density examinations as follows
Our facility has adopted the DEXA method, which is excellent in measurement accuracy and has low exposure.
- Q. Is it okay to do bone density tests together with other tests ?
- Examination using barium preparations (e.g., stomach or colon), nuclear medical examinations, or imaging within a month may affect the value of bone density, so patients who have had these exams should please consult their attending doctor.
| Bone density examination method | Inspection and measurement sites | Measurement accuracy | Exposure dose |
|---|---|---|---|
| DEXA method | Lumbar wrist (radius) femur entire skeleton | Good | Low |
| MD method | Hand (2nd metacarpal bone) | Slightly poor | Slightly high |
| SXA method | Wrist (radius) heel (heel bone) | Good | Low |
| Q-CT | Lumbar vertebrae (third lumbar spine) | Poor | High |
| p-QCT | Wrist (radius) tibia | Good | Slightly high |
| QUS (ultrasonic method) | Calcaneus (Insufficient clarification of readings) | Slightly good | None |
