Quantitative scintigraphic evaluation of total knee arthroplasties: a feasibility study.
For the development and validation of a quantitative approach to the analysis of bone scans after total knee arthroplasty, 39 consecutive patients with 40 prostheses (6 males, 33 females; mean age, 70 years) were scheduled for clinical, radiographic, and scintigraphic examination ranging from 9 to 90 months after surgery. Twenty-seven total knee arthroplasties were considered to be asymptomatic and 13 symptomatic according to the clinical and radiographic findings. Significant differences were found for 99mTc-methylene diphosphonate uptake for femur and tibia and between symptomatic and asymptomatic patients. A reference range was determined for radionuclide uptake in the periprosthetic bone of the 27 asymptomatic total knee arthroplasties; this range was then used to identify loose total knee arthroplasties among the 13 symptomatic knees. With a clinical and radiographic followup performed 1 year after scintigraphy as a standard of comparison, a sensitivity of 88% (7/8) and a specificity of 100% (5/5) was demonstrated. These preliminary results suggest the feasibility of a quantitative approach to the scintigraphic evaluation of total knee arthroplasties after the first postsurgical year.
Sacchetti
G M
GM
Department of Nuclear Medicine, Azienda Ospedaliera Maggiore della Carità, Novara, Italy.
Ghisellini
F
F
Brambilla
M
M
De Consoli
A
A
Fornara
P
P
Rizzo
E
E
Rudoni
M
M
Inglese
E
E
Cannas
M
M
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007720:Knee Prosthesis / Q000009:adverse effects*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000601:surgery; D011475:Prosthesis Failure; D011859:Radiography; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013669:Technetium Tc 99m Medronate
D013669:Technetium Tc 99m Medronate