Question
I had a bone scan done yesterday. When I got my hand and elbows done I had to use another machine for them. I saw that my elbow was brighter than my hand. Then on the other side my elobw and hand was brighter. Could it be because my elbow is little fat or muscle in that area that made it brighter? Any other information about bone scans would be great also.
Answer
Bone scans “light up” where there is increased metabolic activity in the bone. It can be positive in areas of healing fractures, certain tumors of the bone, metabolic bone diseases such as Paget’s disease, infections of bone and when there is joint inflammation. It should not be affected by how much fat or soft tissue surrounds the bone.
