Bone Scan

Why It Is Done

A bone scan is done to:

• Determine whether a cancer from another area, such as the breast, lung, kidney, thyroid gland, or prostate gland, has spread (metastasized) to the bone. See an illustration of a bone scan showing the spread of cancer.
• Help diagnose the cause or location of unexplained bone pain, such as ongoing low back pain. A bone scan may be done initially to help determine the location of an abnormal bone in complex bone structures such as the foot or spine. Follow-up evaluation then may be done with a computed tomography (CT) scan or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
• Help diagnose broken bones, such as a hip fracture or a stress fracture, not clearly seen on X-ray.
• Detect damage to the bones caused by infection or other conditions, such as Paget's disease.

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Author:	Jan Nissl, RN, BS	Last Updated: November 1, 2006
Medical Review:	Patrice Burgess, MD - Family Medicine Kenneth B. Sutherland, CD, BSc, MD, FRCPC - Diagnostic Radiology
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