Skeletal metastases

This article discusses the role of imaging in the evaluation of patients with known or suspected malignancies. The radionuclide skeletal scintigram is the most sensitive imaging method for screening the skeleton for metastatic disease but is inherently nonspecific. Standard radiography provides useful correlative information and often confirms the presence of malignancy when characteristic lytic or blastic lesions are seen. Newer modalities such as CT and MR do not have a primary role in detecting skeletal metastases but may reveal lesions incidentally.