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Nuclear medicine bone scan of the right front limb of a dog with primary osteosarcoma of the distal radius. Note the increased uptake of the radiopharmaceutical in the bone just above the paw. |
This imaging technique involves the administration of radioactive substances, radiopharmaceuticals, which localize to an area of interest in the body by physiologic processes. Scintigrams (nuclear medicine images) do not provide the anatomic detail attainable with other imaging techniques, but the functional dependence on physiologic processes is an added, unique dimension. Commonly employed diagnostic nuclear medicine studies include bone scintigraphy, thyroid imaging, portal scintigraphy, and renal studies where glomerular filtration rate (GFR) can be quantified.
Indications for bone scintigraphy include an unexplained lameness or a skeletal survey for cancerous bone lesions. For example, if a lameness cannot be localized, a bone scan can help identify a region in the limb that has increased radiopharmaceutical uptake either due to increase bone turnover, or increased vascularization. Subsequent close evaluation of that area can occur via radiographs to help determine the aggressiveness of the lesion.
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