Please do not take calcium supplements for 24 hours before your exam.

Exam Day:

Please do not wear anything with buttons, snaps, or zippers from the waist down. Wearing pants with an elastic waistband will allow you to remain fully clothed during the study.

If you have had any x-rays using contrast such as barium, or any nuclear medicine studies, please wait one week before having a DEXA scan.

You will be asked to lie still and quiet on a padded table, but you will be able to breathe normally. The x-ray dose you will be exposed to is extremely low, similar to what you would receive on a long distance airplane flight.

The exam takes 30 minutes to complete. After the exam, the technologist will assist you off the table and you will be free to leave. The results of your exam will be forwarded to your physician, who will explain them to you.