Bone Scan Information

[Douglas Simpkin <dsimpkin@execpc.com>]

The radiopharmaceutical used for most nuclear medicine bone scans is
methylene diphosphonate (MDP)-labeled Tc-99m. Typically, 20 to 35 mCi
(depending on the patient size and the institution) Tc-99m are injected IV,
with a 2 to 3 hour bone uptake / body clearance time between injection and
imaging.

Doses for this (and most all other nuclear medicine) procedure(s) can be
found online at the Radiation Internal Dose Information Center at Oak
Ridge. Their web site is <http://www.orau.gov/ehsd/ridic.htm>.

For an Tc-99m MDP injection, the maximum organ dose is to the bone surfaces
(0.13 rad/mCi injected), with an effective dose equivalent of 0.022 rem/mCi
injected.


Douglas J. Simpkin, Ph.D., DABR
St. Luke's Medical Center
2900 West Oklahoma Avenue
Milwaukee, WI 53215
phone: (414)649-6457
fax: (414)649-5061
email: dsimpkin@execpc.com
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