Localization of 99mTc-diphosphonates in newly formed bone matrix as a measure of bone lesion detectability.

The lesion-to-normal-bone ratios of DBA-MDP (dibutylamino-methylene-diphosphonate), DPD (dicarboxypropane-diphosphonate) and MDP (methylene-diphosphonate) each labeled with 99mTc, were evaluated in experimental bone lesions. In 3-day old lesions this ratio was increased twofold for DBA-MDP in comparison with MDP and DPD which showed nearly equal ratios. Later on these differences became negligibly small. It is concluded that 99mTc-DBA-MDP is fixed more strongly in the immature bone matrix and that this will lead to an improvement in the detectability of lesions containing larger amounts of immature bone matrix.