title: Radionuclide bone/joint imaging in children with rheumatic complaints.
abstract: We reviewed the medical records and technetium bone/joint scans of 160 children presenting to the inpatient Pediatric Rheumatology service over a 3-year period. When the scan result (normal versus abnormal) was considered for each patient as a whole, scan sensitivity and specificity were both approximately 75%. However, when each joint was considered individually, sensitivity decreased to 37%, while specificity rose to more than 95% when compared to clinical examination. Reasons for these variations and their clinical correlation are discussed. Overall, radionuclide bone/joint scanning was found to be very useful in the evaluation of monoarticular and nonrheumatic disorders, but it did not alter therapy in children with known connective tissue disorders or other polyarticular diseases.
authors.affiliation: Pediatric Rheumatology, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston 77225-0269.
authors.forename: M M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.forename: W H
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Moore
authors.forename: E J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Brewer
authors.forename: R E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Sonnemaker
authors.forename: S E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Long
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001168:Arthritis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D001171:Arthritis, Juvenile / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D001842:Bone and Bones / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007592:Joint Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D007596:Joints / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D008297:Male; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D012216:Rheumatic Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D013122:Spinal Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D013669:Technetium Tc 99m Medronate
chemical_list: D013669:Technetium Tc 99m Medronate