SummaryThe accepted golden standard for detection of inflammatory bone disease is conventional three-phase bone scanning. Hyperperfusion, a high blood-pool activity and elevated bone metabolism are typical signs for an acute osteomyelitis. However, in case of subacute, chronic inflammation, neither elevated blood flow nor high blood-pool activity may be seen. This may cause difficulties in differentiating such cases from neoplastic or postoperative changes. This case report verifies the possible advantage of immunoscintigraphy with Tc-99m-labelled antigranulocyte Fab′-fragments (LeukoScan®) in a patient with infected mandibular osteoradionecrosis, who had equivocal clinical symptomes and questionable radiographic results. LeukoScan® is shown to be more sensitive in case of subacute bone inflammation compared with three-phase bone scanning. However, acquisition of delayed images after 24 hours including SPECT is inevitable in case of negative scans during the first hours of investigation.
Acute osteomyelitis of the acetabulum induced by Staphylococcus capitis in a young athlete
