Around the dark areas on a bone scan, white patches appear, indicating an increased deposition of radioactive material from the scan. In other words, depending on where the dark spots emerge, the white patches surround the dark spots, which suggest various medical conditions such as cancer and arthritis. According to MedlinePlus, an abnormal bone scan will reveal hot and/or cold regions in relation to the surrounding bone.
According to MedlinePlus, a bone scan entails injecting a small amount of radioactive material into a vein. The substance passes through the bloodstream and into the bones, emitting radiation that is detected by the scanner’s camera.
According to the Johns Hopkins Medicine Health Library, hot spots occur when radioactive material accumulates in high concentrations, and cold spots occur when radioactive material accumulates in low concentrations. Hot areas on X-rays can suggest the existence of arthritis, malignant bone tumours, metastatic bone cancer, bone infections, bone damage that isn’t seen on regular X-rays, and other bone diseases. Bone scans are used largely to detect the spread of metastatic malignancy.
According to WebMD, cold areas might indicate a lack of blood circulation to the bone or some types of cancer. Hot spots could indicate arthritis, a tumour, a fracture, or an infection, according to the website.
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