Drawing shows patient lying on a table that slides under the scanner, a technician operating the scanner, and a monitor that will show images made during the scan.

Bone imaging is a study to visually detect bone abnormalities. Such imaging studies include magentic resonance imaging (MRI), X-ray computed tomography (CT) and especially nuclear medicine. In the latter case the patient is injected with a small amount of radioactive material such as 600 MBq of technetium-99m-MDP and then scanned with a Gamma camera, a device sensitive to the radiation emitted by the injected material. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 770 × 600 pixel Image in higher resolution (900 × 701 pixel, file size: 145 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Public domain image from cancer. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 770 × 600 pixel Image in higher resolution (900 × 701 pixel, file size: 145 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Public domain image from cancer. ... Grays Anatomy illustration of a human femur. ... Shown above is the bone scintigraphy of a young woman. ... General Name, Symbol, Number technetium, Tc, 43 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 7, 5, d Appearance silvery gray metal Atomic mass [98](0) g·mol−1 Electron configuration [Kr] 4d5 5s2 Electrons per shell 2, 8, 18, 13, 2 Physical properties Phase solid Density (near r. ... The becquerel (symbol Bq) is the SI derived unit of radioactivity, defined as the activity of a quantity of radioactive material in which one nucleus decays per second. ... General Name, Symbol, Number technetium, Tc, 43 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 7, 5, d Appearance silvery gray metal Atomic mass [98](0) g·mol−1 Electron configuration [Kr] 4d5 5s2 Electrons per shell 2, 8, 18, 13, 2 Physical properties Phase solid Density (near r. ... Diagrammatic cross section of a gamma camera detector A gamma camera is an imaging device, most commonly used as a medical imaging device in nuclear medicine. ...

About half of the radioactive material is localised by the bones. The more active the bone turnover, the more radioactive material will be seen. Some tumors, fractures and infections show up as areas of increased uptake. Others can cause decreased uptake of radioactive material. Tumor or tumour literally means swelling, and is sometimes still used with that meaning. ... Internal and external views of an arm with a compound fracture, both before and after surgery A bone fracture is a medical condition in which a bone becomes cracked, splintered, or bisected as a result of physical trauma. ... An infection is the detrimental colonization of a host organism by a foreign species. ...

About half of the radioactive material leaves the body through the kidneys and bladder in urine. Anyone having a study should empty their bladder immediately before images are taken. It has been suggested that Renal anomalies and Renal plasma threshold be merged into this article or section. ... In anatomy, the urinary bladder is a hollow, muscular, and distensible (or elastic) organ that sits on the pelvic floor in mammals. ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ...

The period from injection to completion can last over 4 hours. Actual images are taken for about 30 to 70 minutes. Sometimes late images are taken at 24 hours after injection. An injection is a method of putting liquid into the body with a hollow needle and a syringe which is pierced through the skin long enough for the material to be forced into the body. ...

Pregnant patients should consult with a physician before consenting to radioactive injections. A pregnant woman near the end of her term Pregnancy is the carrying of one or more embryos or fetuses by female mammals, including humans, inside their bodies. ... The Doctor by Samuel Luke Fildes This article is about the term physician, one type of doctor; for other uses of the word doctor see Doctor. ...

References

• Bone scans from WebMD, accessed December 26, 2005.