title: Scintigraphy in rheumatic diseases.
abstract: The aim of this review is to summarise the clinical role of nuclear medicine in rheumatology taking into consideration the most specific diagnostic applications and other worthwhile therapeutic contributions. Traditional bone scintigraphy and recent inflammation-targeting radiopharmaceuticals, such as radiolabelled leucocytes and immunoscintigraphy, now allow us to obtain highly sensitive total-body and tomographical imaging information that can be used for the diagnosis of osteoarticular disease. The most common extra-articular manifestations of rheumatic diseases due to digestive, central nervous, respiratory and cardiovascular system involvement can be diagnosed by specific scintigraphic methods. Radiosynovectomy plays an important role in providing effective treatment for some joint diseases that are resistant to pharmacological therapy. Diagnostic and therapeutic applications of nuclear medicine show the highest efficacy in the early phase of rheumatic diseases. In more advanced stages, scintigraphical techniques play a complementary role to radiographical investigations in the assessment of prognosis and therapy efficacy.
authors.affiliation: Medicina Nucleare, Azienda Ospedaliera-Universitaria di Ferrara, Cso Giovecca 203 44100 Ferrara, Italy. paolo.colamussi@unife.it
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Colamussi
authors.forename: Napoleone
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Prandini
authors.forename: Corrado
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cittanti
authors.forename: Luciano
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Feggi
authors.forename: Melchiore
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Giganti
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D011868:Radioisotopes / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012216:Rheumatic Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000532:radiotherapy; D012219:Rheumatology / Q000379:methods*; D013583:Synovial Membrane / Q000473:pathology / Q000528:radiation effects; D013585:Synovitis / Q000150:complications / Q000532:radiotherapy
chemical_list: D011868:Radioisotopes; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals