Bone scintigraphy is a diagnostic imaging test used, most of the time, to assess the distribution of bone formation or remodeling activity throughout the skeleton, and inflammation points caused by infections, arthritis, fracture, changes in blood circulation can be identified. of bone, evaluation of bone prostheses or to investigate causes of bone pain, for example.
To perform this test, a radiopharmaceutical, such as Technetium or Gallium, which is radioactive substance, must be injected into the vein. These substances are attracted to the bone tissue with the disease or activity after about 2 hours, which can be registered using a special camera, which detects radioactivity and creates an image of the skeleton.
How it is done
Bone scintigraphy is initiated with the injection through the radiopharmaceutical vein, which despite being radioactive, is done in a safe dose for use in people. Then, the period of uptake of the substance by the bones must be waited, which takes about 2-4 hours, and the person must be instructed on oral hydration between the moment of the injection of the radiopharmaceutical and obtaining the image.
After waiting, the patient must urinate to empty the bladder and lie down on the stretcher to begin the examination, which is done in a special camera that records the images of the skeleton on a computer. The places where the radiopharmaceutical is most concentrated are highlighted, which means an intense metabolic reaction in the region, as shown in the image.
The bone scan exam can be performed for a specific region or for the entire body, and the exam usually lasts between 30-40 minutes. The patient does not need to fast, take any special care, or stop the medication. However, in the 24 hours following the examination, the patient should not come into contact with pregnant women or babies, as they may be sensitive to the radiopharmaceutical that is eliminated during this period.
In addition, there is a three-phase bone scintigraphy, performed when it is desired to evaluate the images of the scintigraphy in phases. Thus, in the first phase the blood flow in the bone structures is evaluated, in the second phase the blood balance in the bone structure is evaluated and, finally, the images of the radiopharmaceutical uptake by the bones are evaluated.
What is it for
Bone scintigraphy can be indicated to identify the following situations:
- Bone scintigraphy: research of bone metastases caused by various types of cancer, such as breast, prostate or lung, for example, and to identify areas of alteration of bone metabolism. Better understand what metastases are and when they happen; Three-phase Bone Scintigraphy: identify changes caused by osteomyelitis, arthritis, primary bone tumors, stress fractures, hidden fracture, osteonecrosis, reflex sympathetic dystrophy, bone infarction, bone graft viability and evaluation of bone prostheses. It is also used to investigate causes of bone pain in which the causes have not been identified with other tests.
This test is contraindicated for pregnant women or during the breastfeeding period, and should be done only after medical advice. In addition to bone scintigraphy, there are other types of scintigraphy performed on different organs of the body, to identify various diseases. Check out more in Scintigraphy.
How to understand the result
The result of bone scintigraphy is provided by the doctor and usually consists of a report describing what was observed and the images that were captured during the exam. When analyzing the images, the doctor seeks to observe regions called warm, which are those with the most evident coloration, indicating that a certain region of the bone has absorbed more radiation, suggesting increased local activity.
The cold areas, which are those that appear clearer in the images, are also evaluated by the doctor, and indicate that there was less absorption of the radiopharmaceutical by the bones, which may mean a decrease in blood flow at the site or the presence of a benign tumor, for example.
