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Clinic Information
Dual-energy x-ray absorptionometry (DEXA)
A DEXA scanner is a machine designed to measure lean and fat tissue components of the body and calculate the percentage of fat and lean tissue mass. It is widely used in human medicine because it uses a low dose of x-rays, it is fast, easy to use and accurate.
The equipment includes a beam of x-rays and a detection device. The beam scanner performs a single sweep across the patient whilst they lie still on the bed (cats and dogs will require sedation). The detector advice is slowly passed over the body, and captures the projected images onto a monitor. |
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| A computer is then used to analyze the resulting images. The x-ray exposure is very small, typically far less than having a chest x-ray. The machine scans very quickly and a whole scan of the body takes only 4-6 minutes to complete. |
Results are calculated automatically for fat tissue and lean tissue for the total body and sub-regions. Customised regions of interest (e.g. limbs, chest and abdomen) can also be analyzed for their composition. |
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| Once the scan is complete the animal will have the sedation reversed and allowed to recover. Once awake the patient can be returned to their owner. | |
