The role of bone imaging in orthopedic practice.

Bone scans fill the void left by anatomical imaging by providing a metabolic assessment of change in local bone turnover associated with many common disorders of the skeleton. Bone scanning is valuable in uncovering skeletal lesions that are obscure, the extent of known lesions, and following their natural evolution. Its high sensitivity and relative ease makes it an extremely useful tool in the diagnosis and management of a wide variety of skeletal disorders.