The human skeletal system is designed to give shape and support to the human body. The frame of the body is made up of the hard skeletal system. On this frame, the body parts such as muscles, tissues and organs are attached or supported. The hard frame of the body enables individuals to carry huge loads. The hard frame also makes physical tasks easier as the body has enough leverage and power to handle the requirements of the load being carried.

A bone scan is a scan to determine the state and health of the bones. There are numerous different medical conditions that can affect the state of the bones. Bones are made up of calcium and other substances. Often, too much or too little calcium will cause problems with the bones.

A bone scan is an imaging based scan which makes the use of a tracer material. This tracer material is designed to travel to areas of the body where the turnover of bones is higher than normal. In these areas, there is the chance of some abnormality. Normally, the tracer fluid should flow evenly to all the bones of the area being examined. When the flow of tracer material is deficient, it indicates slow bone growth. When the tracer flow is excessive, it indicates that there is some problem with the bone in the area. This problem could be in the form of a tumor, a fracture or an infection that has affected the bone. This abnormality will be recorded in the bone scan.

Bone Scan Procedure, Results and Cost

The bone scan procedure takes a few hours to perform. The reason for this is that the body must absorb and distribute the tracer material properly before the bone scan can be properly conducted. The bone scan procedure is usually painless for the individual, barring the needle prick that is felt when the tracer is being inserted into the body.

There is a limitation to the resolution of the images produced in a bone scan. Bone scan results can determine the presence of some abnormality, but the exact nature of the abnormality cannot be checked in this way. For this, further scanning must follow the bone scan results.

This further scanning can be in the form of a CT scan, and MRI scan or an X-ray scan. The bone scan is therefore effective at locating the problem which can then be further analyzed and understood using other imaging methods. It would be helpful to discuss with your doctor various aspects of the scan like the bone scan cost, the side effects arising out of the scan, the preparation and so on.