The effect of parathyroid hormone on technetium-99m pyrophosphate distribution in rats.

Sprague-Dawley rats were treated with varying quantities of parathyroid hormone for 1--3 days, then sacrificed at periods ranging from 1--6 h after administration of 99mTc-pyrophosphate. Very little increase in bone accumulation of tracer occurred with this treatment. A small, but obvious decrease occurred in the blood levels of 99mTc-pyrophosphate and a smaller and less consistent decrease was affected in the muscle levels of the radiopharmaceutical. The overall result was an improvement in the bone/blood and bone/muscle ratios. It is suggested that the basis of the "supernormal" bone scan of hyperparathyroidism is achieved by this mechanism and that the increased bone uptake of other ions in response to parathyroid hormone is not shared by 99mTc-pyrophosphate.