Scintigraphy
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Scintigraphy can allow location of the site of an injury. It
works by detecting increased blood flow or increased inflammation and
healing rather than pain, and is particularly useful for the
investigation of horses that are not particularly lame, or that have
head, neck or back problems. A non-toxic radioactive chemical is
injected into the horse’s blood stream and then the horse is scanned
with a gamma camera which picks up emission of energy from the
radioactive source. Images are formed on screen that show ‘hot spots’
of radiation energy in areas which are receiving a particularly high
supply of blood or contain very rapidly dividing cells, indicating the
site of inflammation/ healing.