Bone Scan

Before the bone scan, tell your doctor if:

• You are or might be pregnant.
• You are breast-feeding. The radioactive tracer used in this test can get into your breast milk. Do not breast-feed your baby for 1 or 2 days after this test. During this time, you can give your baby breast milk you stored before the test, or you can give formula. Discard the breast milk you pump in the 1 or 2 days after the test.
• Within the past 4 days, you have had an X-ray test using barium contrast material (such as a Reference barium enema Opens New Window) or have taken a medicine (such as Pepto-Bismol) that contains bismuth. Barium and bismuth can interfere with test results.

You will be asked to drink extra fluids after the tracer is injected. You will empty your bladder right before the scan.

You probably will have to wait 1 to 3 hours after the tracer is injected before your bone scan is done. So you may want to bring something to read or a project to pass the time. For some types of bone scans, pictures are taken during the tracer injection, right afterward, and then 3 to 5 hours after the injection.

You may be asked to sign a consent form before the test. Talk to your doctor about any concerns you have regarding the need for the test, its risks, how it will be done, or what the results will mean. To help you understand the importance of this test, fill out the medical test information form (What is a Reference PDF Opens New Window document?).

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