A bone density scan (also referred to as DEXA), is a specialized form of x-ray technology that is used to measure bone mineral density. It is different from a bone density test.
It is non-invasive and painless. A bone density scan is most often recommended to assist your healthcare provider in diagnosing osteoporosis. Osteoporosis is a condition that involves the gradual loss of calcium which causes bones to become more fragile and more likely to break. Osteoporosis usually affects women after menopause.
Besides helping to diagnose osteoporosis, a bone density scan can also assess one’s risk for developing fractures. The risk of developing a fracture can then be utilized by your healthcare provider to determine the necessity of treatment (calcium supplementation).
If you are taking calcium supplements, do not take for 24 hours before the scan. Inform the technologist if you recently had any type of barium exam or have been injected with a contrast material for a study such as a CT. If so, you may have to reschedule your bone density scan.
Prior to exam, the technologist will assist you in lying down on the table. An imaging device or detector will be positioned over your body in order to measure the bone density in your hips and spine. The detector will slowly pass over the areas being examined. In order to transmit clear images to the computer, you will be asked to lie very still. The study takes about 10-15 minutes to complete. The computer images will be reviewed by a board-certified radiologist and the results sent to your healthcare provider.
Hollywood Diagnosticss Center has been recognized as a leader in the medical Diagnosticss field while performing over 30,000 Diagnostics procedures annually. This includes the EKGs discussed in this article. The center continues to be at the forefront of medical technology by progressively updating its equipment and procedures to reflect the latest advances in medicine. HDC is your complete, one source provider of all Diagnostics services.
If you require for any reasons an MRI, a PET Scan, a mammogram, ultrasounds of any kind, an EKG or even a bone density scan, this is the center that can take care of all of those tests and needs and more. You can even request an appointment by clicking RIGHT HERE!