Health

What are the most common findings on a bone scan that suggest metastatic disease? Bone scan findings of metastatic disease most commonly have intensely increased radiotracer activity, either as a solitary focus or as multiple foci. Widespread disease may appear as a “superscan,” in which all of the bones have diffusely intense radiotracer uptake. Cold, …

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Does a bone scan that shows a worsened appearance after chemotherapy portend a bad prognosis? A bone scan that shows apparent worsening, as characterized by increased radiotracer activity in known lesions or the observation of new lesions, can be suggestive of progression of disease. However, the apparent worsening of prior bone scan abnormalities may also …

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Is a bone scan an appropriate study for a 65 year old with multiple myeloma? Bone scans generally are not sensitive for lytic bone lesions, and patients who show findings of multiple myeloma or other lytic osseous abnormalities on CT or radiography should not be referred for a bone scan. Instead, evaluation with either a …

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Reasons for a bone scan that does not show the bones clearly Usually, a suboptimal bone scan is related to technical factors, such as not waiting at least 2 hours between radiotracer injection and scan acquisition, poor preparation of the MDP, a significantly infiltrated radiotracer dose during injection, patient motion, or the camera being set …

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Best treatment for bone pain with multiple osteoblastic metastases Is there a way to successfully treat a patient with bone pain associated with multiple osteoblastic metastases? Patients with bone pain from osteoblastic metastases can be treated primarily with four modalities: cancer-specific chemotherapy, radiation therapy, narcotic pain management, or radiopharmaceutical agents that target bone. The last …

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What you need to know about an 18 F NaF PET scan? An 18 F-NaF PET scan requires the intravenous injection of a small amount of a radioactive sodium fluoride, which is absorbed into bone. Areas of increased radiotracer uptake relate to bone that is actively being remodeled such as with infection or tumor. As with a …

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What you need to know about a bone scan? A bone scan (i.e., bone scintigraphy) requires the intravenous injection of a small amount of a radioactive tracer (e.g., technetium-99m [ 99m Tc] methylene diphosphonate [MDP]) that is adsorbed into the hydroxyapatite structure of bone. Areas of increased radiotracer uptake relate to bone that is actively being remodeled …

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