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Patient Care > Diagnosis > Nuclear Medicine

Bone Scan with SPECT/CT

Patient Care > Diagnosis > Nuclear Medicine

Bone Scan with SPECT/CT

Bone Scan with xSPECT/CT

A Bone Scan procedure involves injecting a small amount of a radioactive substance that attaches to the bones. SPECT/CT imaging combines a SPECT scan with a CT scan to precisely identify areas of abnormal activity, crucial for cancer diagnosis. For the SPECT (or Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography) component, the nuclear medicine gamma camera rotates 360 degrees around the body, capturing detailed images of bone structures. Meanwhile, the "CT" (or Computed Tomography) portion utilises a reduced radiation dose to enhance the quality of the SPECT scan. xSPECT Bone is an advanced new reconstruction algorithm, which integrates data from the CT scan and bone SPECT acquisition to generate high-resolution images, known as xSPECT.

What are the benefits of a bone scan with xSPECT/CT?

This imaging approach significantly improves detection of bone benign and malignant disease in three important ways:

1. Improved imaging results. Through hybrid xSPECT/CT technology, our bone cancer scan is clinically useful compared to SPECT alone because of improved anatomic localisation and diagnostic certainty.


SJMC SPECT Scan Imaging SPECT Only
SJMC xSPECT Bone Scan Imaging xSPECT Bone
SJMC xSPECT-CT Bone Scan Imaging xSPECT/CT

2. Determines accurate treatment. Hybrid SPECT/low dose CT technology can also provide a “roadmap” for identification of previously undetected, subtle findings on anatomic imaging crucial in cancer diagnosis & bone scans that impacting patient care & management decisions.

3. Hybrid diagnostic quality CT scan with SPECT in a single sitting. The CT component of SJMC’s hybrid SPECT/CT cameras features a multi-slice CT scanner. Patients can undergo a fully diagnostic procedure in one session.


Bone Scan with SPECT/CT are useful for these indications:

1. Head and Neck: Localised sites of infection and inflammation.
  • Dental infections
  • Sinus infections 
  • Malignant Otitis Externa – Diabetes, Chronic infection of mastoid air cells/petrous bone 
2. Knee: Meniscal tears, ACL damage, Impingement syndrome
3. Legs: Stress fractures, Shin splints, Osteomyelitis
4. Feet: Sub-talar joint, arthrosis, some sport injuries meta-tarsal stress fracture
5. Hand: Localising fracture, infection & arthritis
6. Spine:
  • May discover cause of back pain (like facet joint arthrosis)
  • Better localisation of osteophyte vs metastases.

Getting Help

You may contact SJMC Nuclear Medicine & PET/CT Centre at Tel: +603-56391250 / +603-5639 1537 for assistance.