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Results

By Mayo Clinic staff

The radiologist looks for evidence of abnormal bone metabolism on the scans. These show up as darker "hot spots" and lighter "cold spots" where the tracers have or haven't accumulated.

Although a bone scan is very sensitive to abnormalities in bone metabolism, it's less helpful in determining the exact cause of the abnormality. If you have a bone scan that shows hot spots, more testing may be needed to determine the cause.

What you can expect
References
  1. Weissman BN, et al. Diagnostic imaging of bone pain. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Dec. 15, 2011.
  2. Coleman RE, et al. Bone metastases. In: Abeloff MD, et al. Abeloff's Clinical Oncology. 4th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Churchill Livingstone; 2008. http://www.mdconsult.com/books/linkTo?type=bookPage&isbn=978-0-443-06694-8&eid=4-u1.0-B978-0-443-06694-8..50061-0. Accessed Dec. 14, 2011.
  3. Cleveland KB. General principles of infection. In: Canale ST, et al. Campbell's Operative Orthopaedics. 11th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2007. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/168406572-4/910701586/1584/95.html#4-u1.0-B978-0-323-03329-9..50018-0--cesec13_615. Accessed Dec. 15, 2011.
  4. Glossary of orthopaedic diagnostic tests. American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00272#Bone%20Scan. Accessed Dec. 15, 2011.
  5. Safety: Radiation exposure in X-ray exams. Radiological Society of North America. http://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/safety/index.cfm?pg=sfty_xray. Accessed Dec. 15, 2011.
  6. Nicoll D, et al. Bone scan. In: Nicoll D, et al. Pocket Guide to Diagnostic Tests. 5th ed. New York, N.Y.: McGraw-Hill Medical; 2007. http://www.accessmedicine.com/popup.aspx?aID=3141541. Accessed Dec. 15, 2011.
  7. Sharp PF, et al. Nuclear medicine imaging. In: Sharp PF, et al. Practical Nuclear Medicine. 3rd ed. London, England: Springer; 2005:1.
MY00306 Jan. 26, 2012

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