DEXA Scan

Dexa Scan

Intimately know your body composition.

DEXA stands for Dual Energy X-Ray Absorptiometry. A very low dose x-ray beam at 2 energy levels pass through the body to measure the density and determine composition. The results calculate your resting metabolic rate (RMR), you are also provided with dietary recommendations based on your calculated RMR  

An annual scan provides you with results and insights that help you set specific diet and exercise goals. 

Best of all, no long wait times.

Serving Vancouver, Surrey and the Lower Mainland.

What is a DEXA Scan?

A DEXA SCAN (Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry) uses very low dose x-rays to measure the density of the tissues in your body and provide information on the composition. (We are all exposed to background radiation daily, this exam is equivalent to roughly half a day of background radiation)

2 different exams are performed on the DEXA scanner: Whole Body Composition and Bone Density exams.

DEXA Body Composition

This is a head to toe measurement of all of tissues in your body. It measures some of the following:

  • Fat mass index (FMI)- total fat relative to height

  • Visceral Adipose Tissue (VAT)- internal fat surrounding the organs( Increased VAT correlates to higher risk for metabolic and cardiovascular disease)

  • Fat Free Mass index (FFMI)- non fat mass including organs, connective tissue, muscle

  • Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR) - the number of calories the body needs to maintain it’s current mass in resting conditions

  • Bone Density- general overview of all density of bone in the body- not accurate to determine osteopenia or osteoporosis

  • Please fast prior to your appointment for the most accurate assessment

  • Anyone can do a Body Composition scan without a requestion as the information provided from the exam is not to be used for diagnosis of a disease or pathology. $175

Bone Density

  • Uses very low dose x-rays to accurately measure the bone mineral density in the bones of the Lumbar Spine and Hip.

  • Our Radiologist analyses the scan and makes a detailed report including categorizing the results to be the ranges of normal, osteopenia, or osteoporosis.

  • Each machine is highly calibrated. Once you have a baseline on a machine, all further follow ups should be done on the same machine for accurate comparison.

  • Please avoid calcium pills or antacids for 24 hours prior to your Bone Density exam.

  • This exam is ordered by your physician and requires a requisition, your physician will look at the report and other risk factors to quantify your risk of fracture. $250

    Both Body composition and bone density can be done on the same day- with a requisition for the Bone density exam for $400