What is a bone scan?

What is the difference between a bone scan and an X-ray? (Animal Kingdom)?

• Motion said the X-ray of his sore leg was OK, they are going to do a bone scan. What is it and what does it detect?

• Answer:

  A bone scan is used to show bone density and is used to show more detail it's a highly sensitive test It can also be used to determine if a compression fracture of the vertebral body is old or new, as an old fracture will not light up and a new one will. It can locate damage caused to bones by infection, breaks or traumatic injury, and is helpful in finding bone cancer too. Bone scans are sometimes performed to rule out an inflammatory process like a small tumor or infection or an occult fracture which is small fracture not seen on an x-ray. Bone scans, however, cannot distinguish what a lesion represents, and therefore cannot differentiate between a tumor, an infection or a fracture. Therefore, this type of imaging study usually needs to be followed by a CT scan and/or MRI scan to better characterize the lesion. The results of the test reveal 'hot' and 'cold' spots. Hot spots appear darker on the image and denote an area of high tracer uptake, possibly indicating an abnormality (e.g. infection). Cold spots appear light and indicate the bone absorbed less of the tracing element. Good Luck. :)