Radionuclide bone imaging of femoral prostheses with porous coatings.

Radionuclide bone imaging can be of value in assessing the osseous changes around porous-coated femoral prostheses. Scintimetry appears to be a promising method for determining if radiodensities seen in radiographs of long-term prostheses are indicative of accelerated bone turnover or represent stable osseous structures. In dogs, the periosteal reaction which often occurs within two months of joint surgery masks endosteal-intramedullary osseous changes, including bone ingrowth into the porous coating.