What does hot spots mean on a bone scan?
The areas where the radionuclide collects are called “hot spots,” and may indicate the presence of conditions such as arthritis , malignant (cancerous) bone tumors , metastatic bone cancer (cancer which has spread from another site, such as the lungs), bone infections , bone trauma not seen on ordinary X-rays, and …
What does bone cancer look like in a bone scan?
Tumors might look “ragged” instead of solid on an x-ray, or they might look like a hole in the bone. Sometimes doctors can see a tumor that might extend into nearby tissues (such as muscle or fat).
What do hot spots on your body mean?
Hot spots, also known as acute moist dermatitis, are a superficial skin infection caused by damage to the skin surface, usually from chewing, licking or scratching.
What does a spot on the bone mean?
Bone lesions are areas of bone that are changed or damaged. Causes of bone lesions include infections, fractures, or tumors. When cells within the bone start to divide uncontrollably, they are sometimes called bone tumors. Most bone lesions are benign, meaning they are not cancerous.
Can you see cancer on a bone scan?
Using a bone scan when cancer is suspected can be particularly helpful because the scan can find both primary cancer—or, cancer that started in your bones—and bone metastases, which is cancer that has spread to the bones from another part of your body.
What does a dark spot on a bone scan mean?
In an adult, dark spots usually indicate that there is a problem with the skeleton. The increased bone-making activity that the dark spots represent is the skeleton’s response to the problem. For example, if there is a bone fracture, bone cells will very quickly begin to make new bone to try to repair it.
What causes a hot spot?
A hot spot is an area on Earth over a mantle plume or an area under the rocky outer layer of Earth, called the crust, where magma is hotter than surrounding magma. The magma plume causes melting and thinning of the rocky crust and widespread volcanic activity.
What causes cold spots on a bone scan?
An abnormal scan will show “hot spots” and/or “cold spots” as compared to surrounding bone. Hot spots are areas where there is an increased collection of the radioactive material. Cold spots are areas that have taken up less of the radioactive material.
Where do hot spots usually occur?
Earth > Power of Plate Tectonics > Hot Spots Some volcanoes pop up in random places, often far from the edge of a tectonic plate. These volcanoes are found over “hot spots.” A hot spot is an intensely hot area in the mantle below Earth’s crust. The heat that fuels the hot spot comes from very deep in the planet.
What does a hot spot look like?
Often a hot spot will begin as a small red area that owners may mistake for an insect bite. Unlike an insect bite, a hot spot will rapidly worsen and spread, developing into a hot, red, oozing, and painful lesion.
What hot spots on a bone scan may mean?
Generally, there are two types of spots on a bone scan. Hot spots form when the radioactive material, or tracer, accumulates in areas of the bone. Cold spots form in areas where the tracer has not accumulated. Bone loss may cause cold spots, while arthritis, infections or broken bones can cause hot spots. Tumors and cancer can cause either type.
What are the bright white spots on a bone scan?
You may be asked to sign a consent form that gives your permission to do the test.
What are normal and abnormal bone scan results?
What are normal and abnormal bone scan results? Normal bone scan results show radioactive tracer that moves evenly through all bones, and abnormal results show hot or cold spots, says MedlinePlus. Hot spots indicate areas that have taken up more tracer, and cold spots show areas that have taken up less.
What does a bone scan detect?
Bone scan: A bone scan is a nuclear imaging test that helps diagnose and track several types of bone disease. Your doctor may order a bone scan if you have unexplained skeletal pain, bone infection or a bone injury that can’t be seen on a standard X-ray.