nuclear bone scan dye

I have grandfather who is diagnosed with cancer of urine bladder. His doctor ordered him for bone nuclear scan dye. I have never heard for this procedure, so I would like to hear more about this. What does it use for, and will that hurt? Beside this info, I need to know is there some preparation required before this scan.

Not to be confused with a bone density scan, a bone scan is a nuclear test in which a radioactive substance is injected into patient’s body. It gives little more detailed look at the bones and joints than a traditional x-ray examine. A technician, who is going to perform this scan, will inject a small amount of radioactive dye into your grandfather’s vein. He will be allowed to leave and return 3-4 hours later to perform nuclear bone scan. He will lie flat on a table while a machine passes over him. The images will show how the dye is absorbed by his bones. Normal areas will be gray while darker areas indicate a problem, in his cases that will be presence of cancerous metastases. He might be instructed to drink extra fluids for a few hours to flush the dye out of his body. In general, there is no real risk involved, though, in rare instances, someone may have an allergic reaction to the liquid injected. The test itself is not painful, but some people may find lying still uncomfortable, but that is all. There will be some pain when the dye is injected, but it is mild and will over quickly.