Extraosseous uptake of technetium-99m MDP in secondary deposits of neuroblastoma

Extraosseous uptake of radiophosphate compounds i well recognized in primary neural crest tumors. In a review of 32 cases of neuroblastoma presenting over a three-year period at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, nine patients were noted to have secondary lesions in eleven different sites accumulating radiotracer. The extraosseous uptake in metastases included: ascites, liver, lung, anterior mediastinum, and posterior mediastinum. These cases are reported to emphasize the ability of bone imaging to detect the presence of extraosseous soft tissue metastases and primary lesions.