Gamma scans - can anyone explain about them?

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Butterbean

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..eg what sort of thing do they detect? As my mind didn't really take in what the vet was saying after hearing "prognosis not good" and "may have to retire him".
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He is not even 10 yet.

Marco is lame behind, we thought it was his spavin but he had x rays today and was nerve blocked in the hock but still lame. Gamma scan been suggested as next stage. He had one about 18 months ago when his spavin was starting but it didn't really tell us anything then so I'm not sure what they do.

To be honest, am wondering whether to try turning him out for six months / year and see what happens.
 
i've had two done - they detect areas of bone growth/activity, as far as i was told (not a vet!). so, whatever the problem area is, it will show up as a very white area (basically, a hot spot) on whitish/grey bone, on a dark greyish background. well, that's what my 2 looked like, but this was quite a while ago, it may all be glorious technicolour now!
it takes the guesswork away from the vets, basically - shows exactly what area has an injury that is being responded to by new bone growth being put up.
hope that's right. *waits to be corrected!*
 
My mare was also lame behind, and although I believed from the outset that the problem was around her pelvis area, my vet said it was highly likely to be spavins. Her hocks were xrayed but didn't show anything, but vet still went ahead and injected steriod in to the hock joints. After approx 6 weeks, my mare was no different than before, and fortunately at this stage the physio who had been working with her, also started to agree with me that the problem could well be her back, particularly as she was getting much more upset about having this area touched!! Called the vet back, who recomended having a bone scan. This showed hot spots all around the sacroilliac joints, which were then injected with steriod. After a short period of recovery, my mare returned to normal very quickly, and the problem with the hind limb lameness vanished!
So don't give up hope - if the vet recomends a scan then I'd definately have it done, although I would ask that they scan your horses back as well as hind legs, just in case!!!
 
Thank you both, I had thought the scan were just to do with soft tissue so was getting a bit confused.
I think we will be getting the scan done as we have nothing else to try; it is OH's horse and he loves him to bits so is not about to give up.
 
A gamma scan is basically what has been said above. The horse is injected with a radioactive thing and it gathers at area of bone growth ect (I think) A picture is then taken with a Gamma camera and the injury area shows up. But I would imagine you horse would have to stay in horsepital for a while as they are radioactive :P I thinks thats right but not sure
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Exactly as the others have said - I thought I'd also be the one to point out that it's not often called a gamma scan, more commonly it'd known as bone scanning or nuclear scintigraphy. And kerilli yes it shows up "hot" red spots now!
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The vet called it a gamma scan.
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It now looks like we will be having lots of extra x rays first before going forward with the scan ...
 
yep, it is gamma scintigraphy, and the horse is radioactive for a day or two afterwards, they have to be kept in a lead-lined box, and tended only by a groom with the right protective kit on, and all waste etc is disposed of appropriately.
it used to cost about £1000 - well, mine cost that much, about 10-12 years ago - i dread to think what it costs now... although there are more machines about now, so maybe the cost is coming down. *hopes, for your sake*
 
Cost about £1000 when he had it done last time in 2006 (including livery for the 3 nights when he was radioactive & vet time etc) ... it was inconclusive last time so think that is one reason why we are doing x rays instead ... still racking up the cost though (not insured if it turns out to be anything spavin-y or related to previous problem
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I had one done on my horse a couple of months ago. They can be very useful diagnostic tools and the vet will get a full colour picture where 'hot spots' will appear as just that - red areas. The 'hot spots' are areas of either increased blood flow or increased activity of bone. The specialist vet can interpret the hot spots for you and should give you a full report with the pictures from the scan so that you can also take the pictures elsewhere for a second opinion.

The one thing I found out which I did not expect is that prices vary wildly from one clinic to another. Your vet should be able to give you a list of practices which have the machine - it is definately worth spending a couple of hours phoning around. The horse has to stay in quarranteen for 48 hours so costs can mount. I got quoted £1,500 PLUS VAT, PLUS livery costs by Liverpool, but ended up paying £900 ALL IN (including VAT and livery) at Bourton Vale so well worth the trip.

Hope it hels you find out what is wrong!
 
Merlin had it last june and it came to £800 ish. He was there for three days and all the stuff about the radioactivity is correct. His scans show up as black background with the normal areas of the legs etc as an orangey colour the bones are lighter orange and any hot spots are very light/almost white.

I was convinced that his lameness was not down to spavins and insisted on a scan coz i thought it would show up another problem in either stifle or sacro illieac (sp).... but embarrassingly i was wrong
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Hocks it was.... 100 point for the vet none for me
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You can scan for soft tissue as well, you just scan at a shorter (I think) time after injecting the radioactive stuff than for bones.... so assume that you can do both at the same hozzie stay!
 
Agree with all of the above.

My girly is in Leahurst as we speak - for a Gamma Scan / Bone Scan / Gamma Scintigraphy ... all the same thing.

She had the scan yesterday - and is in Isolation as we speak. Just waiting to hear from them.

Quote I got was £1,200 plus any other things they need to do.

She is in with a lameness / bucking problem - they have advised me, after giving her her work up and consultation on Monday - that they will be looking at her hocks and pelvis (personally I think it is sacroilliac - but hey - I'm no vet !)

It can scan for soft tissue as well and bone and gives a better result if there is still "activity" happening in the bone - rather than if the problem has been going on for a long time - but that isnt to say that it wont show up any problems - just that it may not be so obvious.

Thats what I was told anyway ..... good luck with your scan and the outcome.

M
 
Will be interested in the outcome MAverick.
My horse also had scintigraphy yesterday as he too had a bucking/ lameness problem. Vet phoned this morning hotspot in stifle joint, xrays tomorrow when he comes out the hotbox.
 
Thanks Maverick & AMW - might have seen you on Monday Maverick, Marco was at Leahurst in the morning - and will be going back on Friday for more x rays.

My other horse Brooklyn is going in to Leahurst for a lameness workup (and god knows what else) in a couple of weeks time, he is lame behind as well; we are having no luck at the moment.
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Will be interested in the outcome MAverick.
My horse also had scintigraphy yesterday as he too had a bucking/ lameness problem. Vet phoned this morning hotspot in stifle joint, xrays tomorrow when he comes out the hotbox.

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My boy was also scanned yesterday and had hot spots in sacroiliac, hocks and stifles so having xrays on stifle today....fingers crossed for positive outcomes in all cases!
 
my mare has been diagnosed with sacroilliac joint problem her symptoms have been ,throwing head,dragging hind feet,not able to canter on right rein,bucking into canter,swinging quarters to the right when going downhill,has anyone else had same symptoms with their horse
 
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