A study of irradiated bone. Part II. changes in Tc-99m pyrophosphate bone imaging

Quantitative Tc-99m pyrophosphate bone imaging was carried out in locally irradiated and control areas of New Zealand albino rabbits to determine the potential role of bone imaging in assessing the time course of radiation effects in bone and surrounding tissues. In vitro Tc-99m tissue assays, and serial radiographs. from the irradiated and contralateral limbs were obtained at regular intervals over the first 12 mo following irradiation for comparison with quantitative results from the camera studies. The autoradiographic localization of TcPPi was also studied in the x-irradiated and contralateral bones of the rabbits. The results show that TcPPi bone imaging is a sensitive in vivo indicator of early radiation effects upon vasculature and bone remodeling. The findings suggest that the quantitative bone-imaging technique may be useful in the evaluation of the effects of treatment modalities on the skeleton.