title: Nuclear medicine imaging of the pediatric musculoskeletal system.
abstract: Bone scintigraphy is a common pediatric nuclear medicine procedure and plays a significant role in the diagnosis of skeletal infection, trauma, and benign and malignant bone tumors. There is a complementary role for bone scintigraphy in the assessment of a child with suspected nonaccidental injury. High-quality images require careful attention to technique and positioning in children. Additional techniques such as magnification and single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) can be used for special indications and localization. Combined functional and anatomic imaging using SPECT/computed tomography (CT) imaging systems can improve diagnostic accuracy. Positron emission tomography (PET) using fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) is being applied with increasing frequency in the evaluation of children with malignancy. To interpret (18)F-FDG PET appropriately, it is essential to know the normal physiological distribution. Using combined (18)F-FDG PET/CT improves specificity and localization. This article reviews the common indications for bone scintigraphy and (18)F-FDG PET/CT in benign and malignant pediatric musculoskeletal disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Diagnostic Imaging, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. amershammas@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Amer
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Shammas
mesh_terms: D001842:Bone and Bones / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D002648:Child; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D009140:Musculoskeletal Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D015899:Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon
chemical_list: D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18