Three-phase scintimetry in osteonecrosis of the knee.
Three-phase scintimetry with 99mTc MDP was analyzed in 40 patients with a clinical history of spontaneous onset of knee pain and a focal static isotope uptake in the femoral condyle indicating osteonecrosis. A strong correlation was found between pool-phase ratios and the static ratios. The pool-phase study did not add to the information obtained from the flow phase and static studies. There was a characteristic change of the pattern of the early flow-phase curves with the duration since the onset of symptoms indicating hyperemia early in the disease. A persistent high flow-phase and static-uptake ratio 6-12 months after the onset of symptoms correlated positively with a poor clinical and radiographic outcome. The 10 patients with a good prognosis had, as a group, a more rapid decrease in isotope uptake after 6 months. There was a positive correlation between a high static uptake ratio and the size of the lesion, and subsequently with the clinical and radiographic outcome. 30 patients developed arthrosis and/or severe clinical symptoms. Five of the 10 patients who did not develop arthrosis never developed radiographic evidence of osteonecrosis.
al-Rowaih
A
A
Department of Orthopedics, Lund University, Sweden.
Wingstrand
H
H
Lindstrand
A
A
Björkengren
A
A
Thorngren
K G
KG
Gustafson
T
T
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007719:Knee Joint / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010020:Osteonecrosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D011379:Prognosis; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D012075:Remission, Spontaneous; D013669:Technetium Tc 99m Medronate
D013669:Technetium Tc 99m Medronate