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Dual-Energy X-Ray Absorptiomery Technology

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Bone Health Assessment in Pediatrics

Abstract

The fundamental principle of Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DXA) is the measurement of transmission of X-rays, produced from a stable source, at high and low energies through the body. The advantages of using X-rays instead of photon absorptiometry include a shorter acquisition time and improved accuracy and precision due to the increased photon flux. Over the last few decades, improvements in precision and resolution have been coupled with a decrease in radiation exposure. With the increased availability of DXA, there has been a dramatic rise in its use in pediatric research and clinical practice. However, given DXA is a projectional technique, objects are analyzed as two-dimensional; as such, problems may arise when the dimensions of the area scanned change with time, as is the case in a growing child. Though DXA technology has numerous strengths, there remain a number of factors that must be considered carefully when interpreting DXA results in pediatrics.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, University of California, San Francisco, 1 Irving Street, Suite A-C108, San Francisco, CA, 94930, USA

    John Shepherd Ph.D.

  2. Department of Endocrinology, Birmingham Children’s Hospital, Steelhouse Lane, Birmingham, West Midlands, B4 6NH, UK

    Nicola J. Crabtree Ph.D.

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland, Children’s Hospital Oakland Research Institute, Oakland, California, USA

    Ellen B. Fung

  2. Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA

    Laura K. Bachrach

  3. Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, USA

    Aenor J. Sawyer

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Shepherd, J., Crabtree, N.J. (2016). Dual-Energy X-Ray Absorptiomery Technology. In: Fung, E., Bachrach, L., Sawyer, A. (eds) Bone Health Assessment in Pediatrics. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-30412-0_3

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