[Scintigraphy for doubtful vertebral fractures (author's transl)]

Fractures, particularly those of vertebral bodies, cannot always be demonstrated radiologically. The use of scintigraphy for this purpose is known but, in our opinion, this is not used sufficiently. Diagnosis of fractures by scintigraphy is almost 100% reliable. In the presence of degenerative changes in the spine, this is frequently the only method for differentiating between old and new fractures. By using the almost universally available substance 99mTc one has a cheap method with virtually no radiation dose. The earliest accumulation of 99mTc-MDP after fracture of a vertebral body was seen four hours after the trauma; absence of uptake three days after trauma excludes a fracture.