DEXA Data Interpretation & Reporting 3

Question 1

When should vertebral levels be excluded from the lumbar spine BMD calculation in a DEXA report?

Accepted Answer

When a vertebra shows artifactual elevation due to osteophytes, fracture, or overlying hardware

Answer

Vertebrae affected by artifacts such as osteophytes, fractures, or hardware should be excluded because they falsely elevate BMD readings.

Question 2

A 35-year-old man has a lumbar spine T-score of -2.6. According to ISCD guidelines, how should his bone density be classified?

Accepted Answer

Below the expected range for age — reported as low bone mass

Answer

ISCD recommends using Z-scores (not T-scores) for premenopausal women and men under 50, reporting as 'below the expected range for age' if Z-score ≤ -2.0.

Question 3

On a DEXA printout, the precision error (CV%) at a facility is 1.5% for lumbar spine BMD. What does this metric represent?

Accepted Answer

Reproducibility of repeated BMD measurements at that facility

Answer

Coefficient of variation (CV%) describes the reproducibility or precision of repeated measurements at a specific facility.

Question 4

A patient's hip scan shows asymmetric positioning artifacts. Which step should the technologist take before issuing the report?

Accepted Answer

Note the artifact in the report and rescan if the rotation exceeds acceptable limits

Answer

Rotation artifacts can falsely alter BMD; the scan should be repeated if positioning errors exceed acceptable limits, and artifacts must be documented.

Question 5

Which Trabecular Bone Score (TBS) category indicates degraded microarchitecture on a DEXA report?

Accepted Answer

TBS < 1.200

Answer

A TBS below 1.200 is classified as degraded bone microarchitecture, while 1.200–1.350 is partially degraded and above 1.350 is normal.

(DEXA) DEXA Bone Density Scan Certification Practice Test

(DEXA) DEXA Bone Density Scan Certification Practice Test

DEXA Data Interpretation & Reporting 3