Print
Hits: 7916
Introduction
After cancer has been diagnosed elsewhere in the body, doctors may recommend a bone scan to determine whether the disease has spread to the bone. Also called bone scintigraphy, this scan is a type of x–ray performed after a small amount of radioactive substance is injected into a vein. The radioactive substance concentrates in bone abnormalities such as cancer, infections or even fractures. Although the scan itself takes about an hour, the radioactive material must be injected several hours in advance. Other than the slight discomfort of the injection, bone scans are painless. The only danger is a very slight risk of an allergic reaction to the radioactive material which is eliminated from the body within a day. Bone scans are usually done as an out–patient procedure in a radiology or nuclear medicine department of a hospital.

Procedure
Indications of Bone Scan
Risks with Bone Scan