Bone scintigraphy in children with persistent pain in an extremity, suggesting algoneurodystrophy

In this retrospective study, the data of bone scintigraphy performed in 21 children suspected of reflex sympathetic dystrophy (RSD) were analyzed. All of them had persistent pain in an extremity or a clinical suspicion of RSD. All children with strong suspicion of RSD showed diffuse hypoactivity at the level of the involved area on bone scintigraphy. This hypoactivity was clearly related to a decreased vascular supply. The specificity of this scintigraphic pattern is questionable, however, since two children without suggestive clinical signs for RSD had the same scintigraphic pattern.