Bone scintigraphy in skeletal trauma.

This article emphasizes the usefulness of radionuclide bone imaging (RNBI) throughout the clinical spectrum of osseous trauma and relates RNBI to the other imaging modalities available. Acute, stress, insufficiency, avulsion, and occult fracture detection are discussed and illustrated. Other traumatic lesions including the bone bruise, shin splints, tendinitis and epiphyseal injuries are included. Biomechanical lesions, the result of more chronic low level repetitive stress are discussed in detail, as is the use of RNBI in the detection of post-traumatic sequela such as the reflex sympathetic dystrophy syndrome. Technical aspects of RNBI are considered in the context of producing the quality of diagnostic images necessary for clinically complete consultative reporting.