Dexa Scans Films Or Paper Report

[Sophia3]

Hey

I got a DEXA scan and emailed my doc and never heard back. Today his office called saying he wants the ORIGINAL FILMS for me to bring to the office. My room mate drives me to get the "films" and all radiology hands me is the paper report and there is a tiny grainy photograph of my hips and lumbar.

I told the girl I was looking for big MRI or xrays or scans on a CD..she said "most doctors don't ask for a copy of the actual scans?? so this is all he will get".

Has anybody ever gotten this before instead of a film copy? My doc works out of the same circle of Hospitals so I guess he knows what he is getting..but looks useless to me.

one part has decreased bone 2% and left hip 4%..so Apparently his report did not mention this according to the girl from his office.

Anybody ever seen this where the scan is a small grainy picture on a piece of paper with text?

I am confused but if this is standard procedure for DEXA scan, I would think my doctor would know but I can't SEE much changes in bones over the years from this poor photocopy of my hips.

Just thought i would ask since some of us have issues with bone loss.

thanks

[MightyMouse]

My radiology place ALWAYS gives me original films before I leave--they do this for everyone. If you want old films again, they give full digital them as versions on CD or DVD, but you have to pay a small fee (10$, I think) b/c they've already given you the hard copies for free.

[Rachel]

I've never had a DEXA scan, but I've always been given original films any time I have asked for them. I've received original films from x-rays and from MRIs. It has never been questioned, and I have never been charged for them.

You could try again. Maybe a different person at the doctors office would be willing to give them to you. Legally speaking, they aren't supposed to withold them if a patient requests them and fills out the proper paperwork.

Rachel

[Sophia3]

rachel,

it is NOT the Doctors office holding the originals..its the HOSPITAL not giving me originals for my DOCTOR.

Girl at this hospital and it is a big one with many affiliates, said MRIs and Xrays and Mammograms they give you originals.

NOT with Dexa scans. What I got is ALL they have (??)

So I just emailed my doctor with the information about lousy fuzzy copies with the phone number to the radiologist dept. Maybe he can make some headway. ( He once fired off a letter to every lab in SW Ohio some years back when they screwed up a urine test....so if he is mad, he will do something)

Again the girl said doctors "NEVER ask for a DEXA scan copy"??

If it were an MRI I would get it on a CD, she said. She was very nice about it and even gave me copies of the reports of my pasts tests with no hesitation from 2000 and 2004.

So this is just weird but I am plenty honked off about it. Never was a problem years ago to borrow ACTUAL FILM ORIGINALS. My doctor can usually log in from his computer and get ALL My tests results so don't know what this hiccup is...will let you all know.

[Sophia3]

My doc emailed me.

He did NOT want the DEXAx film scans. He wanted the papers with lots of numbers next to the fuzzy pictures,

He does not just want the "interpretation" as it is often wrong he said. He likes to see the whole picture.

So all that whining for nothing.

P,S, this is DIFFERENT than an MRI, Xray or mammo film

[morgan617]

Hi sophia, all I've ever seen on dexa'a is the grainy paper. It's been enough for all my docs, usually they just want the numbers page. When we took Jake to Oregon, they wouldn't even fax the paper x rays. he's not at all impressed with my town's medical system...... morgan

[flop]

Hi,

as you have probably gathered a DEXA scan is not like other radiology pictures or scans - you can't "read" a scan by looking at the pictures. Rather than creating nice pictures the scan machine generates lots of numbers (how dense the bones are at different locations). The "report" is a radiologist deciding what the numbers mean and then saying "normal" or "osteopenia" or "osteoporosis". Some doctors (like yours) want to make that decision themselves from the actual numbers. It is good to hear that your doctor wants the raw information and knows how to interpret it - pity he didn't explain exactly what he wanted you to get for him though! I hope you get your doctors interpretation soon.

Flop

(PS - my friend's Mum is an osteoporosis specialist nurse who requests lots of DEXA scans, all she gets back are the numbers and grainy picture)

[Sophia3]

Thanks Flop

had my doctor EMAILED what he wanted me to get from the hospital, there would've been greater CLARITY. He had some girl call me (he is in a group of 4 docs so lots of female types around)

THIRD PARTY phone people often MISS the details.

But my doctor cleared things up in email this Am.

Good to see your name Morgan!