Eat normally on the day of the exam, but do not take calcium supplements for at least 24 hours prior to the exam. If you have had a barium study, or have been injected with contrast dye for a CT scan or MRI, wait at least seven days before undergoing a DEXA scan.
Wear loose, comfortable clothing. Avoid clothing with metal zippers, belts, or buttons.
You will lie, fully clothed, on a cushioned table. You will stay motionless while the arm of the DEXA machine passes over your body taking measurements.
No anesthesia is required. This procedure is painless.
Total body measurement - as you lie on the table, the machine passes over your body and takes measurements of your bone density by sending a thin, invisible beam of low-dose x-rays through your bones. The amount of radiation is very small, less than 1/10 the dose of a standard chest x-ray. Based on how much the x-rays have changed after passing through your bones, a picture of your skeleton will be generated.
Spine or hip measurement - your toes are placed in a "pigeon-toed" position, and the same procedure as above is followed.
Wrist measurement - you sit in a chair beside the DEXA machine, and your arm is placed in a holding device while the measurement is taken.
After the procedure you will return home.
The scan takes approximately ten minutes to complete.
This procedure is completely non-invasive and painless.
There are usually no complications from this procedure. There is a small amount of radiation exposure, less than 1/10 the dose of a standard chest x-ray. Radiation exposure is cumulative over a lifetime.
You will not be admitted to the hospital for a DEXA scan. It is an outpatient procedure.
No special post-procedure care is required.