Nuclear Medicine • Bone Scan

This is the most frequently performed of all nuclear medicine examinations. Common indications for this exam include pain, possible fracture, possible infection, and cancer detection. No prep is needed for this study.

After registering at the outpatient desk, a technologist will escort you to the nuclear medicine department. A brief history will be obtained in order to perform the highest quality exam. The technologist will then inject the medicine (radiopharmaceutical) into a vein in your arm. With some cases immediate images are obtained and others they are not. Subsequently you may leave the department and return for images after approximately 3 hours. You will be encouraged to drink fluids especially water to help with the quality of the images. When you return, you need not register. Images are taken with you lying on a table and a camera placed over the area to be evaluated. This process takes approximately 45 - 60 minutes.

Following completion of the study your films are checked by a radiologist and additional views or plain x-rays may be taken. When this is done you will be escorted back to the lobby or to your next appointment.

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