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Reporting DXA Results for Children and Adolescents

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Bone Health Assessment in Pediatrics

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Abstract

The dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) report fulfills the role of transmitting data clearly to the referring clinician. A timely, concise, and informative report is essential to relay the DXA findings and to avoid costly and potentially dangerous misinterpretations by physicians unfamiliar with pediatric densitometry data. A comprehensive DXA report ideally includes five elements: (1) patient demographics, (2) a brief medical history, (3) test results, (4) technical comments, and (5) interpretation and occasionally recommendations. Most often the report is focused on bone densitometry components, but may also include body composition measures. The interpretation & recommendation sections remain the most controversial. Densitometry guidelines from an international panel of experts provide recommendations to guide the imaging specialist on acquisition and interpretation of pediatric scans.

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Abbreviations

BMAD:

Bone mineral apparent density

BMC:

Bone mineral content g

aBMD:

Areal bone mineral density g/cm2

vBMD:

Volumetric bone mineral density g/cm3

DXA:

Dual energy X-ray absorptiometry

ISCD:

International Society of Clinical Densitometry

HAZ:

Height for age Z-score

NOF:

National Osteoporosis Foundation

VFA:

Vertebral fracture assessment

WHO:

World Health Organization

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Authors and Affiliations

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

    Ellen B. Fung Ph.D., R.D., C.C.D.

Authors
  1. Ellen B. Fung Ph.D., R.D., C.C.D.
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Correspondence to Ellen B. Fung Ph.D., R.D., C.C.D. .

Editor information

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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Fung, E.B. (2016). Reporting DXA Results for Children and Adolescents. 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_7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-30412-0_7

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-30410-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-30412-0

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

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