The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine (대한핵의학회지)

The Korean Society of Nuclear Medicine (대한핵의학회)
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Normal Variants and Artifacts in Bone Scan: Potential for Errors in Interpretation

골스캔 판독시 오류를 범할 수 있는 정상 변이소견 및 인공물

  • Sohn, Myung-Hee (Department of Nuclear Medicine, Institute for Medical Sciences and Research Institute of Clinical Medicine, Chonbuk National University Medical School)
  • 손명희 (전북대학교 의과대학 핵의학교실)
  • Published : 2004.02.28
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Abstract

Bone scan is one of the most frequently peformed studios in nuclear medicine. In bone scan, the amount of radiolsotope taken up by lesion depends primarily on the local rate of bone turnover rather than on the bone mass. Bone scan is extremely sensitive for defecting bony abnormalities. However, abnormalities that appear on bone scan may not always represent disease. The normal scan appearances may be affected not only by skeletal physiology and anatomy but also by a variety of technical factors which can influence image quality. Many normal variants and artifacts may appear on bone scan. They could simulate a pathologic process and could mislead into the wrong diagnostic interpretation. Therefore, their recognition is necessary to avoid misdiagnosis. A nuclear medicine physician should be aware of variable appearance of the normal variants and artifacts on bone scan. In this article, a variety of normal variants and artifacts mimicking real pathologic lesion in bone scan interpretation are discussed and illustrated.

Keywords

References

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