|  | Conditions Treatments | Bones, Joints Muscles

Types of Bone Scans

The most common use for a bone density scan is in diagnosing osteoporosis. The treatment of this disease may also be tracked by bone scans. These tests aid in examining a patient's risk of fracturing bones. Other common conditions that require bone scans are cancer, type I diabetes, kidney disease, liver disease and thyroid conditions.

  1. Bone Density Scan

    • Dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) is a test that measures a person's bone mineral density. The areas of the body most commonly tested are the hips and lower spine. The test normally takes about 10 to 30 minutes, but it depends on which part of the body is being tested. The DXA is not as effective on a patient with a spinal deformity or someone who has had some form of spinal surgery.

    Lateral Vertebral Assessment

    • The lateral vertebral assessment (LVA) is a less intense version of the DXA. It is only used on the spine to look for vertebral fractures. This test is suggested if the DXA gives inconclusive results. The LVA takes a few minutes longer than the DXA. This test is commonly used in older patients with undiagnosed back pain or who have decreased in height by more than an inch.

    Central DXA

    • Central DXA refers to the type of equipment used to measure the spine and hips. While the patient lies on a table, imaging equipment passes both above and below the body to measure bone density. This is one of the most expensive pieces of bone density equipment.

    Peripheral DXA

    • The Peripheral DXA (pDXA) is the equipment used to measure the finger, wrist and heel. The pDXA is smaller than the Central DXA and is portable. This exam takes much less time than the DXA and the LVA exams. A pDXA exam cannot be used to examine a patient's progress after treatment and a Central DXA will need to be administered in addition to this test if the results indicate that some form of drug therapy is needed.

    Benefits

    • All of these tests can be performed while the patient is conscious. Since the devices used to do these exams are readily available, the tests are convenient. The DXA test is the best way available to diagnose osteoporosis. None of these bone scans are painful for the patient, and they are relatively fast.

    Risks

    • The only risk associated with these tests is the small chance of cancer from being exposed to radiation. However, more advances in technology have been able to create x-ray beams that are concentrated to the area they are intended to be, reducing the amount of radiation being sent unnecessarily to other parts of the body.

Bones, Joints Muscles - Related Articles