Nuclear Scintigraphy

Nuclear Scintigraphy or a bone scan may be recommended in lameness cases involving multiple limbs, a subtle lameness, or a lameness that has not blocked out at the level of the elbow or stifle. The procedure involves injecting a small and safe amount of radioactive material into the horse which accumulates in areas of boney inflammation. A special gamma camera is used which will show areas of increased uptake, indicating the source of the lameness. A bone scan can also help to localize a lameness before further diagnostics are performed such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).