Radioactive isotope of which of the following is used in bone scans: September 2009, 2010
Ans. C: Technetium Bone scan/ nuclear medicine technique: The patient is injected with a small amount of radioactive material such as 600 MBq of technetium-99m-MDP and then scanned with a gamma camera, a device sensitive to the radiation emitted by the injected material. Two-dimensional projections of scintigraphy may be enough, but in order to view small lesions (less than 1 cm) especially in the spine, single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) imaging technique may be required. About half of the radioactive material is localized by the bones. The more active the bone turnover, the more radioactive material will be seen. Not all tumors are easily seen on the bone scan. Some lesions, especially lytic (destructive) ones, require positron emission tomography (PET) for visualization.
Phosphorous
Iodine
Technetium
Gallium