Diagnosing osteomyelitis: evaluation and significance of multiple tracer bone imaging

The use of various radioactive compounds in the diagnosis of osteomyelitis has been the topic of discussion by numerous authors. A great number of bone imaging agents have been experimented with and clinically applied with varying results. It is the intention of this article to detail and compare the use of two such agents: technetium-99m phosphonate, a phosphorus compound radioactively labeled with an isotope of technetium, and gallium citrate 67, a radioactive isotope of gallium. Both of these materials have specific indications and limitations. However, used in the proper setting, either singularly or in conjunction, they give the clinician precise information about pathologic processes. It is the clinician's careful interpretation of both positive and negative test results that enables him to make proper diagnosis and thus institute appropriate therapy.