DEXA Bone Density Scan

DEXA bone mineral density scan assessing the lumbar spine and hip to diagnose osteopenia or osteoporosis, with physician review and actionable T-score results on the same day.

Gleneagles Hospital offers DEXA (dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry) bone densitometry as part of its executive health screening programme, available from the Screen Signature tier and included as standard in Screen Premier and above. DEXA is the gold-standard clinical method for measuring bone mineral density (BMD), expressing results as a T-score relative to peak bone mass in a young healthy adult. A T-score between -1.0 and -2.5 indicates osteopenia, and below -2.5 indicates osteoporosis; both diagnoses are actionable through lifestyle modification, calcium and vitamin D supplementation, or pharmacotherapy. The scan at Gleneagles targets the two clinically significant sites: the lumbar spine (L1–L4 vertebrae) and the proximal femur (femoral neck and total hip), which are the anatomical locations most predictive of fragility fracture risk in the spine and hip respectively. The scan itself is brief — typically 10 to 20 minutes — involves no injection and produces negligible radiation exposure (far less than a standard chest X-ray). In the hospital setting, results are interpreted by a radiologist and then discussed with the health screening physician during the same-day consultation, allowing immediate clinical context: whether findings align with risk factors such as early menopause, family history of hip fracture, low BMI, smoking, or long-term glucocorticoid use. For individuals flagged as high-risk, the on-campus endocrinology and orthopaedic specialist teams are directly accessible for follow-up consultation. DEXA at Gleneagles is available to both male and female patients and is particularly recommended for post-menopausal women, men over 70, and anyone with clinical risk factors for osteoporosis.