Experience of the early use of technetium 99 bone scintigraphy in wrist injury

In a retrospective study, patients with suspected scaphoid fracture had an average of three sets of scaphoid radiographs prior to scintigraphy. Scans were performed an average of 3 months after injury and many were inconclusive because of disuse changes. A prospective analysis of early scintigraphy in 35 cases over 18 months was carried out. Scans were performed at an average of 15.5 days after injury in selected cases. Patients had an average of 1.28 sets of negative radiographs prior to scanning. There were no false negative scans and in 13 with focal uptake a wrist fracture was demonstrated. Diffuse uptake was thought to be indicative of ligamentous damage or reflex sympathetic dystrophy. Early scintigraphy was found to be a sensitive, reliable and cost-effective examination in cases of suspected significant wrist injury.