[The value of bone marrow scintigraphy and magnetic resonance tomography in diagnostic imaging of bone marrow].

This article provides an overview of the possibilities and indications for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and bone marrow scintigraphy in imaging the bone marrow. After a brief review of the anatomical and physiologic structures of bone marrow, the principles of both methods are described. The radiopharmaceuticals of choice for bone marrow scintigraphy are the newly developed 99mTc-labelled anti-granulocyte monoclonal antibodies. They allow a high-quality, whole-body visualization of haematopetically active bone marrow by specifically targeting granulopoetic bone marrow cells and mature granulocytes. MRI enables us to visualize the bone marrow with high contrast and spatial resolution by assessing different properties of the biological tissue--mainly fat, water, and mineral content. Both methods provide a non-invasive and sensitive approach for imaging the bone marrow in different benign and malignant disorders.