A bone scan is a procedure that uses a radioactive chemical to look at your bones. The chemical is called a radionuclide or tracer. Although it may seem scary to have something that is radioactive in your body, this substance is very safe. It gives off very little radiation—less than the amount used for a standard chest X-ray.
A bone scan can help find problems with your bones, such as tumors, infection, and some types of arthritis. Sometimes it can find bone fractures that cannot be seen on a plain X-ray. It can often detect problems long before they would show up on a plain X-ray.
One to three hours before the scan, a small amount of radionuclide is injected into your vein. Radiation given off by this substance can be seen on a special X-ray screen.
After the injection of radionuclide, you will drink several glasses of water to get rid of any chemical that has not been picked up by your bones. (Your body gets rid of the excess chemical when you urinate.) You will be asked to go to the bathroom and urinate just before the scan so that your bladder will be empty.
Remove any jewelry or metal objects, such as zippers and metal fasteners, before you have the scan.
The scanning generally lasts 30 to 60 minutes and is painless. You may be asked to get into various positions on the scanner table. You need to keep still when you are being scanned. As the scanner moves over your body, it detects the radiation from the radionuclide in the bones of your skeleton. During your exam this image is usually viewed on a computer monitor. Areas of concentrated radiation show up as "hot spots." These areas may be the sites of a problem, such as an infection or a small bone fracture that is not yet showing up on regular X-rays.
After the scan, the injection site will be checked for redness or swelling. Your body will get rid of the radioactive substance within 36 hours.
The radiologist will send a report of the scan to your healthcare provider.
The bone scan examines all of your skeleton. It may show if you have tumors, infection, or stress fractures in your bones. The scan may help your healthcare provider diagnose a problem you are having.
The radioactive substance is generally safe for adults. In very rare cases, you may have an allergic reaction to the liquid injected into your vein. You should ask your healthcare provider how this risk applies to you.
The radionuclide may not be safe for a fetus or infant. Women who are pregnant or breast-feeding should not have bone scans.
Before your scan, ask your healthcare provider when and how you will get your results.
If your results are abnormal, ask what you need to do to fix the problem. Ask if you will need to repeat the scan to see if the problem is better or gone.
Call your provider right away if you get hives.
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