Related Experiment Videos
Diffuse femoral uptake on bone scan after fracture in an infant
The Quarterly Journal of Nuclear Medicine : Official Publication of the Italian Association of Nuclear Medicine (AIMN) [And] the International Association of Radiopharmacology (IAR)
|June 1, 1996
Insights
Pediatric bone scans can show diffuse uptake in the femur, even with clear X-ray fractures. This finding warrants considering fractures from any cause, including child abuse, in young children.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Radiology
- Nuclear Medicine
- Skeletal Imaging
Background:
- Childhood fractures require accurate diagnosis.
- Bone scintigraphy is a sensitive imaging modality for detecting skeletal abnormalities in children.
- Distinguishing traumatic fractures from other causes of bone pain is crucial.
Observation:
- A 21-month-old infant presented with a mid-shaft femur fracture, clearly visible on X-ray.
- Bone scintigraphy revealed diffuse increased radionuclide uptake throughout the entire femur.
- No focal uptake was identified specifically at the fracture site on scintigraphy.
Findings:
- Diffuse increased long bone uptake on bone scintigraphy in children can represent a fracture.
- The pattern of uptake may not always be focal at the fracture site.
- This scintigraphic finding can be misleading if not correlated with other imaging.
Implications:
- Child abuse should be a consideration in the differential diagnosis of diffusely increased long bone uptake on bone scintigraphy in pediatric cases.
- Radiologists and nuclear medicine physicians must correlate scintigraphic findings with clinical history and conventional radiography.
- This case highlights the importance of a comprehensive diagnostic approach in evaluating pediatric fractures.
Abstract:
A case is described of a 21 month old infant with a fractured mid-shaft of femur following a fall. While the fracture was clearly visualised on X-ray, radionuclide bone scanning showed diffusely increased uptake throughout the femur with no focal uptake at the fracture site. Fractures of any etiology, including child abuse, should always be considered in the differential diagnosis of diffusely increased long bone uptake on bone scintigraphy in children.