Bone Scan

Overview

A bone scan is a nuclear scanning test that identifies new areas of bone growth or breakdown. It can be done to evaluate damage to the bones, detect cancer that has spread (metastasized) to the bones, and monitor conditions that can affect the bones (including infection and trauma). A bone scan can often detect a problem days to months earlier than a regular x-ray test.

For a bone scan, a radioactive tracer substance is injected into a vein in the arm. The tracer then travels through the bloodstream and into the bones. Areas that absorb little or no amount of tracer appear as dark or "cold" spots, which may indicate a lack of blood supply to the bone (bone infraction) or the presence of certain types of cancer. Areas of rapid bone growth or repair absorb increased amounts of the tracer and show up as bright or "hot" spots in the pictures. Hot spots may indicate the presence of a tumor, a fracture, or an infection.

A bone scan may be done on the entire body or just a part of it.

Patient Prep

There is no preparation for this test.

Test Procedure

A bone scan is usually done by a nuclear medicine technologist. The scan pictures are usually interpreted by a radiologist or a nuclear medicine specialist.

You will need to remove any jewelry that might interfere with the scan. You may need to take off all or most of your clothes; depending on which area is being examined (you may be allowed to keep on your underwear if it does not interfere with the test). You will be given a hospital gown to use during the test.

The technologist cleans the site on your arm where the radioactive tracer will be injected. A small amount of the radioactive tracer is then injected.

It takes 1 to 3 hours for the tracer to move throughout your body. During this time you may be asked to drink 4 to 6 glasses of water to help eliminate any of the radioactive substance that does not collect in your bones. Just before the scan begins, you will usually be asked to empty your bladder to prevent any radioactive urine from blocking the view of your pelvic bones during the scan.

When you are ready for the scan, you will lie on your back on a table and a large scanning camera will be positioned above you. It may move slowly above and around your body, scanning for radiation released by the tracer and producing pictures as the tracer moves into your bones. The camera does not produce any radiation, so you are not exposed to any additional radiation while the scan is being done.

You may be asked to move into different positions so the area of interest can be viewed from other angles. You need to lie very still during each scan to avoid blurring the pictures.

A bone scan takes about 1 hour.

Test Results

It can take time for the test results and how long will depend on the reasons for the scan. Usually, a specialist in radiology examines the scan and a report is sent to your physician, who reviews the results to you.