A bone scan looks for changes in the bone. The cells in the bone are always active and the scan can find areas where the cells are more active, which could be a sign that there is a problem, such as a cancer or an infection. The scan can look at all the bones at once or look at one particular bone. Although this is a sensitive scan it is not very specific, so although it can show changes, it can't tell exactly what is causing that change and cancer is not the only thing that causes these changes.

what happens?

You will be given an injection into the vein which contains a small amount of radioactivity or radionuclide. It is a tiny amount of radioactivity which won’t harm you. This travels in the blood to the bones.  It takes a while, so you will be given the injection and then  asked to wait for sometime, usually a couple of hours. You may be able to leave the hospital for a couple of hours or, if there isn’t anywhere to go, it is worth taking some things to do while you wait. You will be asked to drink lots of fluids to help flush the injection through. 

Before you have the scan, you will be asked to empty your bladder, as if it is full it can affect the scan. You will have to remove all jewellery and any metal and will be asked to put on a hospital gown. You will lie very still on a couch and a large camera called a gamma camera will take pictures of your bones. The camera picks up areas where there is more activity, where the cells are repairing or breaking down. None of this is painful.

afterwards

You will be able to go home straight away and carry on as usual. Some doctors ask people not to go near pregnant women or very young children for 24 hours after the scan because it takes this long for the radioactivity to leave your body. It can help to drink plenty of fluids. The scan isn’t dangerous. The doctor can tell you when you will get your results, they are usually available within a few days.