DEXA Bone Density (Spine + Hip)
A focused scan for Bone mineral density, T-score, Fracture risk.
Overview
Examines Bone mineral density, T-score, Fracture risk. Performed at an NABL-accredited Meridian Health centre with a same-day report and a free doctor review.
The full panel
3 areas across 1 groupEvery parameter, grouped by body system — no clicking to expand.
What this scan measures
Bone mineral density at the two sites that matter most for fracture risk — the lumbar spine and the hip — expressed in g/cm² and converted into a T-score (compared with a healthy young adult) and a Z-score (compared with people of your own age and sex).
Bone loss is completely silent until a fracture happens, and a fragility fracture of the hip or spine is a life-changing event. DEXA is ordered to quantify that risk before it materialises, to decide whether treatment is warranted, and to monitor whether treatment is working — usually no more often than every one to two years, because bone changes slowly.
Symptoms that lead to this scan
- A fracture after a minor fall or trivial injury
- Loss of height, or a new stoop in the upper back
- Early or surgical menopause
- Long-term steroid, anti-epileptic or hormone-blocking treatment
- No symptoms — routine assessment after menopause or age 65
Understanding your results
On the widely used World Health Organization criteria, a T-score of −1.0 or above is described as normal, between −1.0 and −2.5 as low bone mass (osteopenia), and −2.5 or below as osteoporosis. A T-score is not a treatment decision on its own: fracture history, age, steroid use and family history all feed into it, often through a fracture-risk calculator. In pre-menopausal women, men under 50 and children, the Z-score is used instead of the T-score. Serial scans are only comparable when performed on the same machine, which is why it is worth returning to the same centre.
Indicative only. Reference ranges vary between laboratories and between testing methods, and shift with age, sex and pregnancy — always read your own result against the range printed on your own report, with the doctor who ordered it.
| Parameter | Indicative range | Unit |
|---|---|---|
| T-score — normal | −1.0 and above | SD |
| T-score — low bone mass (osteopenia) | Between −1.0 and −2.5 | SD |
| T-score — osteoporosis | −2.5 and below | SD |
| Z-score (used under 50 and pre-menopause) | Below −2.0 is 'below expected for age' | SD |
Why the preparation matters
No fasting, and the scan itself is simply lying still on a table for a few minutes. The one thing that genuinely invalidates a DEXA is residual contrast: barium from a swallow or enema, iodinated CT contrast, or a nuclear-medicine tracer will scatter the beam and produce a meaningless density. Leave at least one to two weeks after any of those. Stop calcium supplements for 24 hours, and wear clothing without zips, buttons, hooks or metal underwiring over the spine and hips.
DEXA — safety and who should not be scanned
Full DEXA guideThe dose is remarkably small: a DEXA scan delivers substantially less radiation than a single chest X-ray, and less than most people receive from natural background radiation in an ordinary day. It is low enough that repeat scans for monitoring are routine, though the interval is usually one to two years — not because of dose, but because bone density simply does not change fast enough to be worth measuring sooner.
- Pregnancy
- Although the dose is very small, DEXA is not performed in pregnancy or where pregnancy is possible, because the measurement is elective and can always wait. Tell the technologist before the scan.
- Recent contrast, barium or nuclear medicine study
- This is the commonest avoidable reason a DEXA is invalid. Residual barium, iodinated CT contrast or a radioisotope tracer scatters the beam and produces a meaningless density. Leave at least one to two weeks after any of those before booking.
- Metalwork or previous surgery at the measured site
- Spinal fusion hardware, a hip prosthesis, vertebroplasty cement or surgical clips make the measurement at that site unusable. Tell the centre in advance so an alternative site — the other hip, or the forearm — is measured instead.
- Severe scoliosis, vertebral collapse or marked degenerative change
- Advanced degenerative change and collapsed vertebrae falsely RAISE the apparent spinal density, which can mask genuine osteoporosis. The radiologist will exclude affected vertebrae or rely on the hip measurement, but only if the history is known.
- Inability to lie flat and still
- The scan requires several minutes lying flat on your back with the legs positioned in a support. Severe pain, contractures or breathing difficulty when flat should be mentioned so positioning can be adapted.
Who should consider this scan
- Post-menopausal women, particularly from age 65
- Men from age 70, or younger with risk factors
- Anyone on steroids for three months or more
- People who have had a fracture from a minor fall after age 50
- Anyone with rheumatoid arthritis, coeliac disease or early menopause
Conditions it helps detect
How it works
Patient stories
96% recommend“The phlebotomist arrived exactly on time and was gentle. My report came in five hours with a doctor’s note.”
“Booked at night, sample collected next morning. The parameter breakdown is genuinely thorough.”
“Loved the free doctor review — she walked me through my vitamin D and thyroid results clearly.”