Orthonotes
Orthonotes
by the.bonestories
v3.0 Fusion
v3.0 Fusion
tumor topic hub

Nuclear Medicine — Bone Scan & PET Basics

Bone scan = radionuclide (Tc-99m MDP) uptake proportional to osteoblastic activity. Highly sensitive for metastasis, stress fractures, infection, AVN. PET (FDG-PET): measures metabolic activity (glucose uptake). PET superior for staging malignancy, differentiating benign vs malignant lesions. Limitations: false positives (arthritis, trauma, infection).

Overview

Topic summary

View wiki
Bone scan = radionuclide (Tc-99m MDP) uptake proportional to osteoblastic activity. Highly sensitive for metastasis, stress fractures, infection, AVN. PET (FDG-PET): measures metabolic activity (glucose uptake). PET superior for staging malignancy, differentiating benign vs malignant lesions. Limitations: false positives (arthritis, trauma, infection).
Cases

Clinical case discussions

Browse all cases
MCQs

High-yield practice questions

Start topic quiz
Question 1

What is the primary radionuclide used in bone scans for assessing osteoblastic activity?

Question 2

In a three-phase bone scan, which phase is most indicative of acute osteomyelitis?

Question 3

What does a 'cold spot' on a bone scan indicate?

Question 4

Which condition would most likely show a diffuse uptake in the delayed phase of a three-phase bone scan?

Question 5

Which of the following is a limitation of PET imaging in orthopaedics?

Question 6

What is the half-life of Tc-99m, making it suitable for clinical imaging?

Question 7

Which imaging modality is superior for staging malignancy in orthopaedics?

Question 8

What is the primary use of a labeled white cell scan (WBC scan) in orthopaedics?

Question 9

Which of the following conditions would typically show multiple focal 'hot spots' on a bone scan?

Question 10

During which phase of a three-phase bone scan would you assess soft tissue perfusion?