Why it's done

If you have unexplained bone pain, a bone scan might help determine the cause. The test is very sensitive to any difference in bone metabolism. The ability to scan the entire skeleton makes a bone scan very helpful in diagnosing a wide range of bone disorders, including:

• Fractures
• Arthritis
• Paget's disease of bone
• Cancer originating in bone
• Cancer that has metastasized to bone from a different site
• Infection of the joints, joint replacements or bones (osteomyelitis)
• Impaired blood supply to bones or death of bone tissue (avascular necrosis)