[The importance of osteoscintigraphy for the early detection of rheumatic joint lesions]

The scintigraphic semeiotics was investigated of involvement of osteoarticular system in rheumatoid polyarthritis in 186 patients (79 of them suffered of rheumatoid arthritis, 62 of systemic lupus erythematosus, 34 of systemic scleroderma, 11 of dermatomyositis). Roentgenological examination was supplemented by consecutive local scintigraphy of axial skeleton and peripheral joint by of gamma rays with labeled 99mTc phosphate complexes. Isoactive zones with subsequent quantitative evaluation of the information were obtained as a result of computerized processing of the scintigraphic images of the joints. The results were compared with those obtained in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. It was established that inspite of the similarity of the scintigraphic manifestations, each of them has its regularities due to differences of the pathomorphological processes in the joints.