Bone Scan
Why It Is Done
A Reference bone scan Opens New Window is done to:
- Find bone cancer or determine whether cancer
from another area, such as the breast, lung, kidney,
Reference thyroid gland Opens New Window, or
Reference prostate gland Opens New Window, has spread (metastasized) to the bone.
See a picture of a
Reference bone scan showing the spread of cancer Opens New Window Reference
Opens New Window. - Help diagnose the cause or location of unexplained bone pain, such as ongoing low back pain. A bone scan may be done first 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 Reference computed tomography (CT) scan Opens New Window or Reference magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) Opens New Window.
- Help diagnose broken bones, such as a hip fracture or a Reference stress fracture Opens New Window, not clearly seen on X-ray.
- Find damage to the bones caused by infection or other conditions, such as Reference Paget's disease Opens New Window.
| By: | Reference Healthwise Staff | Last Revised: Reference October 1, 2012 |
| Medical Review: | Reference Anne C. Poinier, MD - Internal Medicine
Reference Myo Min Han, MD - Nuclear Medicine |
|
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