What is bone scanning?
Bone scanning is a type of test procedure that is carried out to measure bone cell activity. This is done by injections of a slightly radioactive material called tracing, into the vein to the patient's arm. Within a few hours, about half of the tracker is picked up by bone cells, while the other half is filtered from the kidney body. The tracer is attracted by bone areas that are highly active, and this can be seen using a special camera that detects radiation issued by hitchhiking. Bone scanning is often used to diagnose bone problems such as stress fractures, cancer lesions or other conditions that cannot be clearly seen in traditional X -ray.
Activity and function of cells in bones is what bone scan should read. Many people consider bones to be static dry structures that provide support to the body and do little else. In fact, bones are alive and active, metabolizing nutrients and repair problems like any other tissue body. Some problems may be the backto render changes in bone metabolism. These changes can be observed through bone scanning and the physician can use results to diagnose problems and propose treatment.
The camera that detects radiation from the injected stopper sees areas that absorb small or no hitchhiking like dark spots. Some places are normal, but an unusual dark spot may indicate a lack of blood into this area or the presence of certain types of cancer. In areas where bones are growing rapidly or repaired, multiple tracing devices will be absorbed and scanning will display a light area or "hot place". While hot spots can also be normal, it may indicate problems such as arthritis, infection or the presence of a tumor.
The amount of radiation absorbed by the body during bone scanning is usually small enough to make it perfectly safe. A patient who is or may be a pregnant bywas to consult a doctor before receiving an injection of the radioactive stopper. If there is a legitimate medical reasoning for him, bone scanning will not usually be delayed. In rare cases, the patient may suffer an allergic reaction to a hitchhiker, but bone scanning usually does not pose a greater risk than a conventional X -ray.