Osteitis pubis, Tc-99m MDP, and professional hockey players

Three cases of osteitis pubis detected by bone scanning with Tc-99m MDP in professional ice hockey players are presented. This entity is related to mechanical stress and aggravated by forceful contraction of the adductor and rectus abdominis muscles. The signs, symptoms, and laboratory data are relatively nonspecific, as are radiographic findings in the early stage (pubic symphysitis). The use of bone scanning in the appropriate clinical setting aids in diagnosis.