Nuclear Medicine Scans A "dual-headed" SPECT nuclear system is ready to go in Punta Gorda and we can do...
- Bone Scans (whole body, tri-phase & spots)
- Gallium (whole body with 6 hr, 24 hr, 48 hr and 72 hr delays)
- Liver Scans, Liver and Spleen Scans, Spleen Scans
- Hepatobiliary Scans (also commonly known as HIDA scans to check gallbladder function)
- and more....
| Bone Scan
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 bones (including infection and trauma). A bone scan can often detect a problem days to months earlier than an X-ray. 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 infarction) or the presence of certain types of cancer. Areas of rapid bone growth or repair absorb increased amount 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.
| Why it is Done: A bone scan is done to:
Determine whether a cancer from another area, such as the breast, lung, kidney, thyroid gland, or prostate gland, has spread (metastasized) to the bone. Help diagnose the cause or location of unexplained bone pain, such as ongoing low back pain. A bone scan may be done initially to help determine the location of an abnormal bone in complex bone structures such as the foot or spine. Follow-up evaluation then may be done with a CT or MRI. Help diagnose broken bones, such as a hip fracture or a stress fracture, not clearly seen on X-ray. Detect damage to the bones caused by infection or other conditions, such as Paget's disease. | | | |
