Bone scintigraphy in the diagnosis and management of traumatic injury

Imaging with bone-seeking nuclear medicine radiopharmaceuticals has changed dramatically in a span of 10 years. The only indication for bone scintigraphy a decade ago was to detect skeletal metastases in patients with known carcinoma. Improvements in equipment and radiopharmaceuticals have led to the use of nuclear medicine studies for the detection and evaluation of a multitude of benign abnormalities. This article discusses the use of bone-seeking radiopharmaceuticals in traumatic processes involving the skeletal system, connective tissues, and muscles. A review of the subject is included, as well as some new ideas regarding the interpretation and evaluation of scintigraphs with respect to trauma to the bones and soft tissues.