Abstract
Nuclear medicine examinations hold an important position in the diagnosis of diseases of the spine. During the las decade, decisive progress has been made in the field of instrumentation and radiopharmaceutical techniques: the use of high resolution collimators and the introduction of emission computer tomography as examples of improved instrumentation as well as 99m-Technetium red blood cell labelling as a new radiopharmaceutical technique. These present some of the developments responsible for the growing importance of scintigraphical diagnosis. Inflammatory processes of the vertebrae and the surrounding soft tissues can be detected or excluded with high reliability by the use of radionuclide-labelled granulocytes. The important role of bone scintigraphy in the differential diagnosis of neoplastic bone disease relies on its high sensitivity combined with the quantitative analysis of increased bone metabolism. Furthermore, it provides exact information about the extent and a possible metastatic spread of bone tumours. In the field of orthopaedy and surgery, skeletal scintigraphy is of growing importance as a highly sensitive procedure in the detection of special traumatic lesions such as acute vertebral compression fractures and in the follow-up of patients after bone surgical interventions. Despite the progress of other imaging modalities such as computer tomography and magnetic resonance imaging, nuclear medicine today is well-established in the assessment of diseases of the vertebral column. Among all scintigraphical diagnostic procedures, bone scintigraphy and the different techniques of inflammation imaging are of special importance.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Botsch H: Gallium-Szintigraphie — Diagnostik bei entzündlichen Erkrankungen und Tumoren. Springer-Verlag, Berlin-Heidelberg-New York-Tokyo 1985
Brussatis F, K Hahn (eds): Nuklearmedizin in der Orthopädie. Springer-Verlag, Berlin-Heidelberg-New York-Tokyo 1990
Coleman RE, RE Black, DM Welch, JG Maxwell: Indium-111 labelled leukocytes in the evaluation of suspected abdominal abscesses. Amer J Surg 139 (1980) 99–104
Collier BD jun, RS Hellman, AZ Krasnow: Bone SPECT. Sem Nucl Med 17 (1987) 247
Demangeat J-L, A Constantinesco, B Brunot, G Foucher, J-M Farcott: Three-Phase Bone Scanning in Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy of the Hand. J Nucl Med 29 (1988) 26–32
Hahn K, I Hahn, D Eissner, TH Schaub: In: Hoefer R, H Bergmann (eds): Radioaktive Isotope in Klinik und Forschung, vol. 17, 115. Egermann-Verlag, Wien 1986
Joseph K, V Damann, G Engeroff, KR Gruner: Markierung von Leukozyten mit 99m Technetium-HMPAO: Erste klinische Ergebnisse. Nuc Compact 17 (1986) 277
Joseph K, H Hoeffken, V Damann: In vivo-Markierung von Granulozyten mit 99m Tc-markierten monoklonalen Antikörpern: erste klinische Ergebnisse. Nuc Compact 18 (1987)
Kaps HP, O Becker, P georgi: Die Leukozytenszintigraphie in der Differentialdiagnose der Wirbelsäulenerkrankungen. Z Orthop 121 (1983) 501
Kaps HP, P Georgi: Die Leukozytenszintigraphie mit 111-Indium bei akuter und chronischer Osteomyelitis im Tiermodell — eine experimentelle Studie. Nuklermedizin 25 (1986) 61
Lochner JT, K Seybold, RY Andres, PA Schubiger, J-P Mach, F Buchegger: Imaging of inflammatory and infectious lesions after injection of radioiodinated monoclonal anti-granulocytes antibodies. Nucl Med Comm 7 (1986) 659
Probst-Proctor SL, MF Dillingham, IR McDoughall, D Goodwin: The white blood cell scan in orthopedics. Clin Orthop 168 (1982) 157–165
Subramanian G, JG McAfee, RE O'Mara et al: 99m Tc-polyphosphate PP46: A new radiopharmaceutical for skeletal imaging. J Nucl Med 12 (1971) 399
Thakur ML, RE Coleman, MJ Welch: Indium-111 labelled leukocytes for the localization of abscesses: Preparation, analysis, tissue distribution and comparison with gallium-67 citrate in dogs. J Lab Clin Med 89 (1977) 217–228
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Hach, A., Hahn, K. The value of nuclear medicine for the diagnosis of spine diseases. Neurosurg. Rev. 16, 125–133 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00258244
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00258244