Why Would a Person Need a Bone Scan?

A bone scan is a nuclear medicine test that uses radioactive materials and X-ray images to detect abnormalities in the metabolism of a person’s bones. Doctors use this test to learn about a patient’s bone disorders and their potential causes.

Cancer

Bone scans may be used to locate bone abnormalities from bone cancer or cancer that has spread to a bone from another part of the body, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Bone Diseases

Doctors may use a bone scan to identify areas of a patient’s bones that may be affected by Paget’s disease, fibrous dysplasia or avascular necrosis.

Other Medical Conditions

Bone scan imaging can help doctors identify damaging effects of diseases such as arthritis or infections of the joints, bones or joint replacements.

Unexplained Symptoms

Doctors may prescribe a bone scan to help them diagnose the causes of unexplained bone pain symptoms.

Bone Scan Procedure

A radioactive tracer is injected into a patient’s vein so that it will circulate through the blood stream and get absorbed by a patient’s bones. A special camera that detects radiation is passed over areas of a patient’s bones to produce images of bone abnormalities.

References

• Mayo Clinic: Bone Scan