Bone scanning injects a radioactive tracer that concentrates in areas of active bone metabolism, revealing fractures, infection, tumors, and inflammatory processes. It is sensitive but not specific.
Findings indicate abnormal activity without identifying its cause.
Alternative Names:
Nuclear Bone Scan, Skeletal Scintigraphy
Why it Matters?
Bone scans appear in cases where fractures were not visible on initial imaging and in complex regional pain syndrome claims, where increased uptake is offered as objective corroboration. The limitation is specificity: increased activity indicates a process without establishing what it is or when it began, so degenerative arthritis and old healing fractures produce findings indistinguishable from recent injury without clinical correlation.
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Frequently asked questions
What does a bone scan show?
What is the main limitation?
