Three-phase Bone Imaging Research Articles

The use of three-phase bone imaging in vascularized fibular and iliac bone grafts.

Three-phase bone imaging was undertaken to monitor the viability of vascularized bone grafts after surgery. Eleven vascularized fibular grafts and six vascularized iliac grafts were reviewed. The study evaluated patients over multiple time intervals from 1 week to 6-8 weeks postoperatively. Follow-up ranged from 12 to 60 months. In most of the patients who achieved a successful clinical outcome, the study was positive; blood perfusion and blood pool radioactivity at sites of bone grafts were higher than those at recipient sites two weeks postoperatively and became equal to surrounding tissue thereafter. The grafted bone uptake of radiophosphate was constantly positive in these cases. Conversely, the study was negative in three cases of postoperative vascular complications. Serial three-phase bone imaging is a useful tool to monitor the viability and early complications of vascularized bone grafts after surgery.

Lateral inguinal hernia detected in the early images of three-phase bone imaging.

Lateral inguinal hernia detected in the early images of three-phase bone imaging.

Three-phase radionuclide bone imaging in sports medicine.

Three-phase radionuclide bone (TPB) imaging was performed on 238 patients with sports-related injuries. A wide variety of lesions was encountered, but the most frequent lesions seen were stress fractures of the lower part of the leg at the junction of the middle and distal thirds of the posterior tibial cortex (42 of 79 lesions). There were no differences in the type, location, or distribution of lesions between males and females or between competitive and noncompetitive athletes. In 110 cases, bone stress lesions were often diagnosed when radiographs were normal, whereas subacute or chronic soft-tissue abnormalities had few specific scintigraphic features. TPB imaging provides significant early diagnostic information about bone stress lesions. Normal examination results (53 cases) exclude underlying osseous pathologic conditions.