Bone scan

Injury	Disease	Nutrition	Poison

Symptoms	Surgery	Test	Special Topic

Nuclear scan

Overview

Risks

Results

Bone scan

Alternative Names:

Scintigraphy - bone

What the risks are:

If you are pregnant or nursing, the test may be postponed to prevent exposing the fetus to radiation.

The amount of radioactivity in the injection is very small, and virtually all activity is gone from the body within 2-3 days. Although it is extremely rare with bone scanning agents, a person may develop rash, swelling, or anaphylaxis (severe allergic response).

There is a slight risk of infection or bleeding with any intravenous injection.

Special considerations:

Some abnormalities that may be identified on radionuclide bone scans include:

Tumors that have spread from other parts of the body to the bone (metastatic disease)
Primary bone tumors
Fractures
Bone infections (osteomyelitis)
Degenerative diseases of the bones, such as arthritis
Rickets
Fibrous dysplasia
Paget's disease
Avascular necrosis
Radiation changes

It is important to understand that bone scan findings must be correlated with other imaging studies, in addition to clinical information. You should always discuss the significance of abnormal findings with your health care provider.

Review Date: 7/21/2004
Reviewed By: Jeffrey J. Brown, MD, FACR, Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology, Washington, University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO. Review Provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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