A comparison of whole-body turboSTIR MR imaging and planar 99mTc-methylene diphosphonate scintigraphy in the examination of patients with suspected skeletal metastases.
OBJECTIVE
This study was undertaken to compare whole-body turbo short inversion time inversion recovery MR imaging and 99mTc-methylene diphosphonate planar scintigraphy in the examination of patients with suspected skeletal metastases.


METHODS
Twenty-five patients with known or suspected skeletal metastatic disease underwent both whole-body turbo short inversion time inversion recovery MR imaging and whole-body 99mTc-methylene diphosphonate scintigraphy.


RESULTS
MR imaging revealed metastases at 57 of 175 possible sites (sensitivity, 96.5%, specificity, 100%; positive predictive value, 100%). Scintigraphy revealed metastases at 43 of 175 possible sites (sensitivity, 72%; specificity, 98%; positive predictive value, 95%) (McNemar test, 0.01; p = .016). Discrepancies in skeletal evaluation by whole-body MR imaging and scintigraphy were observed in six (24%) of 25 patients. Soft-tissue abnormalities were identified in 13 (52%) of 25 patients with MR imaging alone.


CONCLUSIONS
Preliminary results suggest that whole-body MR imaging is an effective method of examining patients with suspected skeletal metastases, with better sensitivity than conventional planar 99mTc-methylene diphosphonate scintigraphy.
Eustace
S
S
Department of Radiology, Boston Medical Center, MA 02118, USA.
Tello
R
R
DeCarvalho
V
V
Carey
J
J
Wroblicka
J T
JT
Melhem
E R
ER
Yucel
E K
EK
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001859:Bone Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000556:secondary*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013669:Technetium Tc 99m Medronate
D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D013669:Technetium Tc 99m Medronate