The doctor may order bone scans to determine whether or not cancer is present in the bones or to evaluate unexplained bone pain. The radioactive tracer is administered intraveneously and the it travels through the body and is absorbed by the bones. During the 1-3 hours after the isotope is injected, the child will need to drink a lot of water or juice, otherwise there are no restriction on activities. The fluids clear the body of radioactive material that is not picked up by bone tissue. The radioactive tracer concentrates in areas of increased bone metabolism, both normal growing bone or in bone tumors or bone infections.
Results are usually available in a day or two.
Liver and Spleen Scan Liver and spleen scans can be used to detect tumors in the liver and spleen. The radioactive substance is called technetium and most of it is absorbed by the liver, some by the spleen, and some by the bone marrow. The technetium is injected into a vein and the abdomen is scanned 10-15 minutes later. Kidney Scans Kidney scans are used to evaluate kidney function as well as tumors. A combination of radionucleotides is used and after IV injection, pictures are taken every few minutes for about 20 minutes.