Hemodynamic effects of knee-joint tamponade. 99mTc-diphosphonate scintimetry in growing dogs

We studied the influence of joint effusion on juxtaarticular vascularity and bone metabolism of the immature knee in puppies by dynamic and static 99mTc-diphosphonate scintimetry. Unilateral joint tamponade of 10 KPa (75 mmHg), introduced by intraarticular dextran-70 infusion, resulted in quantitatively similar scintimetric changes in an angiographic Phase I (0-20 sec), a blood pool Phase II (20-256 sec), and a bone-uptake Phase III (2 h). The uptake was reduced by 20 percent in the distal femoral epiphysis, by 15 percent in the distal femoral growth plate in Phases II-III, and by 8 percent in the proximal tibial growth plate in Phase III. The main part of scintimetric changes during joint tamponade could be ascribed to altered epiphyseal and metaphyseal intraosseous hemodynamics.