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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2019 Jul 1.
Published in final edited form as: Bone. 2018 Apr 25;112:145–152. doi: 10.1016/j.bone.2018.04.023

Table 6.

Summary of radiation doses and key features of different bone imaging technologies.

Radiation exposure Advantages Disadvantages
DXA 0.02 mSv

  • Low radiation dose

  • Extensive clinical data/validation

  • Cannot separate trabecular versus cortical bone

  • Areal BMD, so influenced by bone size
SE QCT 2.6 mSv

  • Can separate trabecular versus cortical bone

  • Volumetric BMD, so independent of bone size

  • Higher radiation dose than DXA

  • Influenced by bone marrow fat
DE QCT 5.5 mSv

  • Can separate trabecular versus cortical bone

  • Volumetric BMD, so independent of bone size

  • Not confounded by bone marrow fat

  • Higher radiation dose than SE QCT
HRpQCT 0.005 mSv

  • Low systemic radiation

  • Can separate trabecular versus cortical bone

  • Allows for assessment of bone microarchitecture

  • Can only be done at peripheral sites (radius and tibia)