The value of 99Tcm-MDP bone scans in young patients with exercise-induced lower leg pain.

This study compares the bone scan appearances in 32 patients with medial tibial syndrome (MTS) with the appearance in 28 patients with confirmed chronic compartment syndrome (CCS). A distinctive pattern of uptake was seen in 30 patients, 24 of whom had MTS and 6 of whom had CCS. Of the patients with normal scans, only 4 had MTS, the remaining 15 had CCS. Both of these findings are statistically significant and confirm that bone scans are a useful diagnostic tool in the differential diagnosis of exercise-induced lower leg pain.