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 conventional bone scan, the patient can eat and take medications regularly and is able to continue all daily activities before and after the scan. The scan itself occurs approximately 30-60 minutes after injection of the radiotracer, and the scan time is approximately 30 minutes for a whole body tomographic scan. The major advantage of 18 F-NaF PET is improved spatial resolution and contrast compared to a conventional bone scan. Coregistered CT is also routinely obtained.
