Home › Report templates › Normal DEXA Bone Density Report Template (ISCD)

Normal DEXA Bone Density Report Template (ISCD)

Normal DXA bone densitometry report template: lumbar spine L1-L4 and bilateral hip BMD, T-scores and Z-scores, WHO category, FRAX and follow-up interval, written to the ISCD reporting elements, with notes on vertebral exclusion, least significant change and the Z-score rule under 50.

EXAMINATION: Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) bone
densitometry of the lumbar spine and bilateral hips.

CLINICAL HISTORY: [indication, e.g. “Screening for osteoporosis,
postmenopausal”]. Risk factors: [none reported / x]. [Height x cm,
weight x kg.]

COMPARISON: [None available. / DXA dated x on the same scanner.]

TECHNIQUE: DXA of the lumbar spine (L1-L4, PA) and bilateral proximal
femurs on a [manufacturer/model] densitometer. Reference database:
[NHANES III for the hip; manufacturer database for the spine]. T-scores
are referenced to a young adult [female] Caucasian reference
population; Z-scores are age-, sex- and ethnicity-matched. Quality
control phantom scan within tolerance.

FINDINGS:
Lumbar spine (L1-L4): BMD [x] g/cm2, T-score [x], Z-score [x]. All
four vertebrae were included; no vertebra was excluded for
degenerative change, fracture or artifact. Adjacent vertebral
T-scores are within 1.0 SD of each other.
Left femoral neck: BMD [x] g/cm2, T-score [x], Z-score [x].
Left total hip: BMD [x] g/cm2, T-score [x], Z-score [x].
Right femoral neck: BMD [x] g/cm2, T-score [x], Z-score [x].
Right total hip: BMD [x] g/cm2, T-score [x], Z-score [x].
Lowest T-score: [x] at the [site].
Diagnostic category (WHO): Normal bone mineral density (T-score of
-1.0 or above at the lumbar spine, femoral neck and total hip).
Fracture risk: FRAX 10-year probability of major osteoporotic
fracture [x]% and of hip fracture [x]% (calculated with femoral neck
BMD).
Comparison: [Not applicable. / Change in BMD at the lumbar spine of
x%, within / exceeding the least significant change of x% for this
scanner.]
Vertebral fracture assessment: [Not performed. / No vertebral
deformity.]

IMPRESSION:
1. Normal bone mineral density at the lumbar spine and bilateral
hips (WHO classification). Lowest T-score [x] at the [site].
2. FRAX 10-year probability of major osteoporotic fracture [x]% and
hip fracture [x]%, below treatment thresholds.
3. Suggest repeat DXA in [2-3] years, or sooner if clinically
indicated.

Dictation notes

The WHO categories (normal T-score at or above -1.0; low bone mass or osteopenia -1.1 to -2.4; osteoporosis -2.5 or below) are assigned from the lowest T-score at the lumbar spine, femoral neck or total hip only — Ward's area, the trochanter and single vertebrae are never used for the diagnosis.
T-scores apply to postmenopausal women and men 50 and over; in premenopausal women, men under 50 and children the Z-score is reported, and a Z-score at or below -2.0 is “below the expected range for age”, never “osteoporosis” on densitometry alone.
Exclude a vertebra when it differs by more than 1.0 T-score SD from its neighbours or shows a fracture, osteophyte or surgical hardware, name the exclusion, and diagnose on the remaining levels only if at least two are evaluable — a sclerotic L4 inflates the spine score and hides osteoporosis.
A serial comparison is valid only on the same scanner with a known least significant change (LSC); report the change in g/cm2 and percent and state whether it exceeds the LSC, because a T-score drift of 0.1 is noise and not a treatment failure.
A patient with a prior hip or vertebral fragility fracture has clinical osteoporosis regardless of the T-score; when the history or the vertebral fracture assessment shows one, the impression says so.

Never paste a template again

MyRadAgent turns a scratch dictation into this report — structured, guideline-checked, in your own section headers and phrasing. It learns your style from every correction. Free trial: 100 reports over 14 days, no card, no IT ticket.

Draft a report with it → or watch the live demo first — no signup →

← All report templates

This is a reference implementation of a published guideline, for use by qualified clinicians. It does not account for patient-specific factors and is not a substitute for clinical judgment or a formal radiology consultation. Templates are generic scaffolds for licensed radiologists; verify wording against your own practice standards. See our full disclaimer.