Clinical applications

Abstract

Understandably, the clinical use of bone scan was much restricted when first introduced in the early 1960s (Fleming et al. 1961). At that time bone scintigraphy was applied to the diagnosis of cancer metastasis (Fig. 1.2) and fracture (Fig. 3.1). Since then, its scope has been enormously expanded, indeed far beyond the scope originally envisaged. This expansion has been made possible basically by the availability of high-technology gamma camera systems and excellent radiopharmaceuticals, and developments in image interpretation science, which have led to ever-increasing clinical demands. Thus, bone scintigraphy has long been established as the most popular nuclear imaging modality, not only for the screening of acute and critical bone and joint disorders but also for standard diagnosis of most skeletal disorders. Lately, the combined use of nuclear angiography, SPECT, and pinhole techniques has greatly increased its diagnostic potential in terms of both sensitivity and specificity.