UTILITY OF 3-PHASE SKELETAL SCINTIGRAPHY IN SUSPECTED OSTEOMYELITIS - CONCISE COMMUNICATION

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  • 1 January 1981
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 22  (11) , 941-949
Abstract
Three-phase skeletal scintigraphy, consisting of a radionuclide angiogram, an immediate postinjection blood-pool image and 2-3 h delayed images, was performed on 98 patients with suspected osteomyelitis. This procedure was evaluated by first interpreting only the delayed images, next the combination of blood-pool and delayed images and the 3-phase study. There was no change in the sensitivity (12/13 = 0.92) for detecting osteomyelitis but the false-positive rate for osteomyelitis decreased from 0.25 (21/85) to 0.06 (5/85). In 21 of 64 patients (33%) with abnormal studies, the blood-pool image and/or the radionuclide angiogram led to a more accurate scintigraphic diagnosis. In 12 patients (19%), the blood pool alone was enough to achieve the correct final diagnosis and was used most often to identify noninfectious skeletal disease. In 9 patients (14%) the radionuclide angiogram was required for an accurate interpretation and was considered essential most often in cases of soft-tissue infection. Both radionuclide angiography and blood-pool imaging appear to augment the specificity of skeletal scintigraphy in patients with suspected osteomyelitis.