Sulphur colloid bone scan assessment of femoral head vascularity following subcapital fracture of the hip.

The study was done to determine femoral head vascularity in the immediate postfracture stage as assessed by 99m Tc-sulphur colloid bone scanning and tetracycline uptake in the excised femoral heads of 30 patients with subcapital fractures treated by primary hemiarthroplasty. Twenty-four cases were diagnosed avascular by the scan, and this was confirmed by the absence of tetracycline labelling in all 24. Two cases were vascular by the scan, and this was confirmed by tetracycline labelling. The scan was inaccurate in only four cases, where the head appeared vascular by the scan, but avascular by tetracycline labelling. Sulphur colloid is helpful in predicting femoral head vascularity in the immediate postfracture phase.