Bone localization.

Accurate staging of malignancies is essential to guide the clinician in selecting the most appropriate therapy. Metastases to bone suggested by radionuclide bone scans must be proven histologically because of the high frequency of false-positive results. If the plain bone radiographs, however, are normal and there are no localizing symptoms, precise biopsy of the area of bone scan abnormality is usually difficult and time-consuming. The recently described intraoperative use of the hand-held gamma probe now allows for great accuracy and sensitivity in the radioisotope-guided open biopsy of clinically suspected bone metastases.