Whole-Body Bone Scintigraphy
Nuclear medicine study for detecting bone turnover, metastases, and fractures.
What is Bone Scan?
Bone scan uses IV technetium-99m labeled diphosphonate to localize areas of increased osteoblastic activity.
How it works: After tracer injection and uptake, a gamma camera acquires whole-body images highlighting hot spots.
Common Uses of Bone Scan
Bone metastasis survey
Sensitive for osteoblastic mets (e.g., prostate, breast).
Occult or stress fractures
Detects fractures not seen on X-ray.
Infection or hardware loosening
Assesses osteomyelitis or prosthesis issues with 3-phase study.
Advantages
- ✓Whole-body coverage
- ✓High sensitivity for many bone processes
- ✓Relatively low cost vs PET
Limitations
- ⚠Low specificity—requires correlation with CT/MRI
- ⚠Radiation exposure
- ⚠False positives with arthritis/trauma
Preparation Checklist
0 of 3 completed
⚖️Bone Scan vs CT
Related Imaging Modalities
Correlate hotspots with CT/MRI; PET-CT may be used for lytic lesions.
CT
CT scans use X-rays to create detailed cross-sectional images of the body. They are particularly useful for detecting bone fractures, tumors, and internal bleeding.
MRI
MRI uses powerful magnets and radio waves to produce detailed images of organs and soft tissues. Excellent for brain, spine, and joint imaging.
PET-CT
Combines metabolic imaging with CT anatomy for cancer staging and therapy response.
Browse Bone Scan Terms
Explore common terms in Bone Scan reports, each with detailed explanations, clinical significance, and related lab tests to help you understand your imaging results. lab tests.
Focal Hot Spot in Thoracic Spine
Intense focal radiotracer uptake in the T7 vertebral body with no corresponding uptake elsewhere.
Polyostotic Uptake - Paget Pattern
Broad, intense uptake involving the right hemipelvis and proximal femur with cortical expansion on prior radiograph.
Stress Fracture Along Tibial Shaft
Linear cortical uptake along the mid-diaphysis of the left tibia on delayed images; flow and blood-pool phases are mildly increased.
Tracer Uptake Around Hip Prosthesis
Three-phase study shows increased blood flow/blood pool and focal periprosthetic uptake along the femoral stem-cement interface.
Prosthetic Loosening on Bone Scan
Focal increased uptake around prosthesis-bone interface suggests loosening. Normal postoperative pattern shows diffuse, decreasing uptake over time. Increased blood flow suggests infection or recent surgery.
Metastatic Disease on Bone Scan
Multiple foci of increased radiotracer uptake (hot spots) throughout skeleton. Typical pattern includes spine, pelvis, ribs, and proximal extremities. May be photopenic (cold) in purely lytic lesions like multiple myeloma.
Osteomyelitis on Bone Scan
Focal area of increased radiotracer uptake at infected bone. Three-phase scan shows increased blood flow and blood pool activity in acute phase. May see photopenic area (cold spot) in early infection before bone destruction becomes apparent.
Stress Fracture on Bone Scan
Focal, linear or fusiform area of increased radiotracer uptake at fracture site. Appears as 'hot spot' with characteristic shape following bone cortex. Three-phase bone scan shows increased blood flow and blood pool activity in acute phase.
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