NaF-18 Bone Scans

A bone scan is a nuclear scan that identifies new areas of growth or breakdown in the skeletal system. A physician orders a bone scan to evaluate the skeletal system and determine if the patient has bone cancer, a bone disease or to determine if cancer has spread to the bones from a different area of the body.

At Mobile Molecular Imaging we are able to perform bone scans using our PET/CT scanner combined with the isotope Sodium Floride-18 (NaF-18). NaF-18 is a positron-emitting isotope attached to a mineral that after injected into the body, uptakes into metabolically active bone.

These bone scans provide many advantages over a conventional gamma system bone scan including greater accuracy and superior anatomic detail. Another advantage is that the decay half-life of the NaF-18 isotope is smaller. This means that the NaF-18 isotope loses radioactivity quicker than the isotope used in a conventional scan. This improves the wait and scan times for the patient, as well as allows us to produce a more efficient workflow to create a faster turnaround of reports to referring physicians. Also, with a conventional scan you are limited to an anterior and posterior image.

By using the PET/CT scanner, we are able to provide patients and their physicians with a 3-D, high-resolution, full body image. This allows physicians to accurately read the scan and target the exact area(s) that may need treatment.