Nuclear Scintigraphy

Scintigraphy or “bone scanning” is a technology taken directly from the human medical field. A low-dose benign radioactive isotope is injected intravenously. The isotope has an affinity for inflamed/injured/remodeling bone. The actual scan is conducted hours after the isotope is injected. The bone scanner then “reads” the amount of isotope present in the bone and makes an image of the bones being evaluated. The picture looks like an anatomical silhouette where “darker” areas represent bone remodeling and/or inflammation. Nuclear scintigraphy or a bone scan is indicated to find bone inflammation when lameness is difficult to diagnose or when the complaint is that the horse is not performing up to expectations. One of the main benefits of scintigraphy is the much higher degree of sensitivity with this technique compared to radiographs. It is common for a “problem area” to be normal on an X-ray but to show abnormal activity on a bone scan. This scenario occurs for many arthritic processes as well as for “hairline fractures”, and for sites of injury at ligament attachments onto bone.

Another benefit of doing a bone scan is that we are able to image virtually every bone in the body without general anesthesia. This is particularly helpful for identifying bone problems in the upper limb, head, and vertebral column. In order to conduct the bone scan, the horse is required to stay in the hospital for at least 24 hours after the time it is injected. For this reason, horses scheduled for bone scans must arrive early on the day of the scan, and the horse stays in the clinic overnight. Frequently, any “follow-up” work (such as X-rays) is done the following morning.

Dr. Revenaugh authored the first veterinary license for the use of a bone scanner in New Jersey (1997), as well as the first licensure of a bone scanner in private practice in Oregon. Dr. Revenaugh established and headed the nuclear medicine department in Dr. Furlong’s clinic in NJ. Since then, he has performed and interpreted thousands of bone scans.

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