DXA Body Composition Analysis

This course builds the knowledge and competence technologists, clinicians, and other healthcare professionals need to use DXA body composition analysis in clinical and research practice. Learners follow the full workflow: how each body composition method produces a measurement and why they differ from DXA, how DXA resolves fat, lean, and bone, how to standardize acquisition and analysis, how to read a results sheet and select the measures suited to a clinical question, and how to place a value against reference data while recognizing where reference data and cut-points do not exist. Clinical application covers monitoring change over time, identifying risk that BMI conceals, diagnosing low muscle mass states, and managing patients through obesity pharmacotherapy, cancer treatment, aging, and athletic seasons. Emphasis throughout is on distinguishing true change from measurement error and on recognizing that a result is specific to the system and software that produced it. Case studies reinforce application to real patients.

Find an Upcoming Course

View Calendar
View All Courses

Course Information

Learning Objectives

As a result of this course, learners will be better prepared to:

  • Select an appropriate method and outcome measure for a clinical question, recognizing that results from different methods and DXA systems are not interchangeable.
  • Standardize data collection through preparation, positioning, scan mode, artifact management, and region placement, so measurements are comparable within and across patients.
  • Determine whether a result is trustworthy and whether a change is real, using quality control, precision error, and the least significant change.
  • Report measures, indices, and reference comparisons correctly, identifying where reference data or cut-points do not exist.
  • Apply results to monitoring, risk identification, diagnosis, and management across low muscle mass states, obesity, pharmacotherapy, cancer, and athletes.

Target Audience

The content is designed for healthcare providers responsible for reading and interpreting DXA scans, including specialists and generalists working in family medicine, general and internal medicine, rheumatology, endocrinology, obstetrics/gynecology, radiology, physical and occupational therapy, and research, as well as technologists.

Supplemental Learning Activities

Included

Registration for DXA Body Composition Analysis includes two videos to watch prior to the live lecture:

  • Lecture 1 – Methods other than DXA for Body Composition Testing
  • Lecture 2 – DXA Technology for Total and Regional Body Composition Measures

They are located in the Course Access tab. You can watch these any time after registering to prepare for the course.

Lectures

  • Standardizing Whole Body DXA: Acquisition and Analysis
  • DXA Body Composition Reporting and Reference Data
  • Clinical Application of DXA Body Composition: Monitoring, Risk, Diagnosis, and Management
  • Interpreting DXA Change: Obesity Treatment, Pharmacotherapy, and Athletic Populations

Continuing Education Credits

ISCD intends to offer this activity for AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ and ASRT Category A credit. As accreditation standards are updated regularly, the amount of credit awarded changes in accordance with the adjustments made to the standards. To view credit awarded or anticipated for a specific offering, please refer to the upcoming course you’d like to register for.

Interested in offering this course Internationally?

ISCD offers Local Organizing Committees (LOC) the opportunity to license and offer specific ISCD educational programs. For more information on pricing and available courses, please visit our LOC Information Page. After reviewing the details, you can complete and submit the LOC Application to request an agreement.

Looking for a different course? Here are some of our other offerings.