Collar osteophytes: a cause of false-positive findings in bone scans for hip fractures

A retrospective review of our radiology database revealed five elderly patients, seen over a 12-month period, whose findings were judged positive for hip fractures on the basis of their bone scans, but whose MR imaging findings were negative.

The presence of collar osteophytes around the femoral neck caused a false diagnosis of hip fracture for these patients, as revealed on radionuclide bone scans. CT or MR imaging correlation is needed where collar osteophytes may have caused an incorrect diagnosis of hip fracture based on a bone scan.