Clinical and radiographic correlates of femoral artery visualization on bone scan

In order to determine if the linear pattern of thigh uptake medial to the femur often seen on a 99mTc diphosphonate bone scan (DiP) is caused by calcification of the femoral artery, 42 patients with and without this pattern were studied by a combination of conventional radiographs, radioisotope angiography and/or computed tomography. Risk factors for arteriosclerotic disease were recorded for all patients. These techniques identified the postulated femoral artery pattern on bone scan as always corresponding to calcified femoral arteries. The prevalence of diabetes, cigarette use, hypertension and a family or clinical history of arteriosclerotic vascular disease was the same in the groups with or without DiP uptake.