Concept in Definition ABC

A Scintigraphy is an imaging study in which low doses of a radioisotope or radioactive isotope, mainly Tecnesium 99, are administered intravenously to later view its distribution in the skeleton as well as the some specific organ.

This study is based on the fact that some tissues in pathological situations have a greater blood supply, likewise the cells that make them up may show an increase in their metabolism. These two principles increase the uptake of the isotope, which will show a greater concentration of it in some areas of the body. The radioactivity emitted by the tissues is captured by a gamma camera that converts it into images of the bones in which the distribution of the radiopharmaceutical is shown, these images are what is known as the scintigraphy.

The scintigraphy is practiced mainly to study the bones, however it is also used to decide the function of structures such as the thyroid gland, kidneys, and even the heart.

Bone scan

The main indication for a bone scan is when you want to look for a primary tumor or a bone metastasis, is a study that should be performed in people who have had the diagnosis cancer in order to determine the degree of advancement of the disease, especially in those that tend to spread to the bones, as occurs in prostate cancer, breast cancer and thyroid cancer.

It is also very useful to be able to determine if there is an infection of the bone, known as Osteomyelitis or when a fracture that cannot be well visualized on an x-ray. It is also used to detect disorders of the metabolism of the bones that can weaken them.

Thyroid scan

The thyroid scan uses radioactive iodine that is taken up by the thyroid gland as a radioisotope. Depending on the radiation emission pattern, it can be established whether a goiter or nodule, either palpated when examining the patient or identified by a thyroid ultrasound, it is solid in nature or cystic. Likewise, the degree of functioning of the gland (hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism).

One of the main indications of a thyroid scan is to identify the presence of malignant thyroid tumors.

Kidney scan

The scintigraphy study is also used to evaluate the functioning state of the kidneys, especially in people who are allergic to the contrast media used in studies such as Urotac or Urethrography of elimination.

An important indication for this study is when you want to assess the functioning state of the kidneys after of a kidney transplant, the scintigraphy also allows early identification of conditions such as rejection of the new organ.