A 37-year-old member asked:
Could a bad scoliosis cause a wrong interpretation of a bone scan, looking for cancer?
3 doctor answers • 6 doctors weighed in
Dr. Andrew Turrisianswered
Radiation Oncology 49 years experience
Unlikely: While the bones scan would likely be abnormal, the reader can interpert based on the obviousfinding, and suggest the prospect whether it is from the conditon or likley to be metastasis. Mets are usually not just to one bone, but multiple non-adjacent bones, never crossing joint spaces.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.9k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
Dr. Robert Warneranswered
Hematology and Oncology 42 years experience
It shouldn't: Bone scans are very nonspecific; either black or white (grey, actually) so there is always clinical judgement involved, which certainly should be the case in someone who may have unique stresses on joints etc.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.9k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
Dr. Gerald Mandellanswered
Nuclear Medicine 54 years experience
Sometimes: Scoliosis deforms the spine with a curvature. On bone scan the convex side of the curvature is usually more active than the concave side. With surgery for scoiiosis, active spots can occur where breaks in fusion. High incidence of spondylolysis with scolisis, fractures at the L5 level of lumbar spine.Older people with scoliosis have arthritis.All active spots have to be correlated with other images.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.3k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
Last updated Sep 23, 2017
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