A computerised tomography scan. This scan uses x-rays to build a picture of the inside of the body.

Positron emission tomography. A scan in which a person is injected with a small amount of radioactive glucose solution. Cancerous areas show up brighter in the scan because they take up more of the glucose….

A magnetic resonance imaging scan. This scan uses magnetism and radio waves to take detailed cross-sectional pictures of the body….

A scan using small amounts of radioisotope to find areas of bone where there is cancer….

A technique to create images of bones on a computer screen. A small amount of radioactive dye is injected into a vein. It collects in the bones and is detected by a scanning machine.

A substance injected into the vein or taken orally before a scan (such as a CT or MRI scan), which helps make pictures clearer. Also called a contrast agent or dye.

In this scan, a probe that generates soundwaves is inserted into the rectum. A picture of the rectum is built up from the echoes of the soundwaves.

The process of cleaning out the bowel (removing faeces) before a test or scan to allow the doctor to see the bowel more clearly.