In a typical bone scan technique, the patient is injected (usually into a vein in the arm or hand, occasionally the foot) with up to 740 MBq of technetium-99m-MDP and then scanned with a gamma camera, which captures planar anterior and posterior or single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) images. In order to view small lesions SPECT imaging technique may be preferred over planar<unk> . In a single phase protocol (skeletal imaging alone), which will primarily highlight osteoblasts, images are usually acquired 2–5 hours after the injection (after four hours 50–60% of the activity will be fixed to bones). A two or three phase protocol utilises additional scans at different points after the injection to obtain additional diagnostic information. A dynamic (i.e. multiple acquired frames) study immediately after the injection captures perfusion information. A second phase "blood pool" image following the perfusion (if carried out in a three phase technique) can help to diagnose inflammatory conditions or problems of blood supply. A typical effective dose obtained during a bone scan is 6.3 millisieverts (mSv). File:Woldobonescan.Person undergoing a bone scan on the skull File:SPECT CT.A patient undergoing a SPECT bone scan.
Bone scintigraphy
Bone biopsy
Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry
PET for bone imaging
Tractography
Positron emission tomography
Sestamibi parathyroid scan
Skeletal survey