Accuracy in body composition scanning by adult half-body DXA scanning

Introduction: dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) is the gold standard method, although one limitation is the size of the scan area. Objective: the objective was to verify the accuracy of body composition (BC) scanning through half-body DXA scanning compared to standard total body scanning. Methods: a study was conducted on 145 volunteers. Weight and height were assessed. Body mass index (BMI) was calculated. DXA was used for whole-body scan (WBS) and half-body scan (HBS). WBS was used as the reference method and the following indicators were extracted: bone mineral content (BMC), fat mass (FM), lean soft tissue (LST) and percentage fat mass (%FM). Results: no differences were observed in the body composition indicators (BMC, FM, LST and %FM) when compared between the reference WBS scanner and the HBS scanner. The predictive power between both scans ranged in both sexes between R2 = 0.94 and 0.98. The DRI desirable reproducibility index values defining the degree of agreement between both scans ranged from 0.97 to 0.99, and the values for precision (0.97 to 0.99) and accuracy (0.99) were high. Conclusion: HBS scanning by DXA evidenced agreement, and high values of accuracy and precision to assess body composition indicators (BMC, FM, LST and %FM).