Common Questions
How do DXA scanner results compare among different manufacturers?
DXA scanners are not all the same. Bone mineral density measurements may vary markedly among machines made by different manufacturers. This variation has been reported as high as 15 percent (1). Each manufacturer develops ranges of normal and abnormal by scanning populations of volunteers. Because of the differences in the reference populations and scanning hardware, actual bone density measurements will vary between manufacturers (2). In clinical practice, it's best to rely on T- and Z-scores, which reduce the intermanufacturer variability. Even then one should use caution when comparing measurements from different machines.
- Peel NF, Eastell R. Comparison of rates of bone loss from the spine measured using two manufacturers' densitometers. J Bone Miner Res 1995; 10: 1796-801.
- Blake GM, Fogelman I. Applications of bone densitometry for osteoporosis. Endocrinology and Metabolism Clinics 1998267-288.