Negative scintigraphy with positive magnetic resonance imaging in bone metastases

We report three patients with known primary tumor in whom radionuclide skeletal imaging for metastatic disease was normal with or without clinical symptomatology referable to this area. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the spine demonstrated focal areas of abnormal signal intensity in the vertebral bodies of these patients. In all three patients, biopsy confirmed metastatic disease. All the patients received radiation or chemotherapy depending upon the etiology. These preliminary data suggest that MR imaging may be useful in evaluating patients with known primary tumor in whom clinical suspicion persists despite a negative radionuclide bone scan.