Scintimetric evaluation of remodeling after bone fractures in man.

In a review of bone scans of 2000 post-trauma patients, the following rules of bone remodeling after fracture were found: different bones behave differently; lesions in the vicinity of joints show an early and high accumulation of the tracer within the first days after the trauma, whereas fractures of the axial skeleton and shafts of long bones sometimes need up to 12 days to appear on scan; all except skull fractures demonstrate a steady rise of accumulation intensity compared to normal bone for 2-5 wk; the steepness of increase and time of maximum differ significantly for different fracture sites. Calculating a ratio 24:4 hours after injection helps differentiate fractures from soft tissue lesions since fresh fractures show a ratio > 1:1. We found no clinically relevant dependence on sex and age. The scintigraphic/scintimetric behavior of fractures is reproducible and predictable, adding specificity to the well-known high sensitivity of bone scans.