Bone scan of the spread of prostate cancer
Courtesy of Intermountain Medical Imaging, Boise, Idaho.
A bone scan is a test that uses a radioactive tracer to look at the bones of the body. Areas that absorb little or no amount of tracer appear as dark or "cold" spots. Areas of fast bone growth or repair absorb more tracer and show up as bright or "hot" spots in the pictures.
Figure 1 shows a normal whole-body scan. Figure 2 shows cancer of the prostate that has spread to the spine.
Current as of: March 1, 2023
Author: Healthwise Staff
Medical Review:Anne C. Poinier MD - Internal Medicine & Adam Husney MD - Family Medicine & Martin J. Gabica MD - Family Medicine & Myo Min Han MD - Nuclear Medicine
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