Korean J Nucl Med.  2000 Dec;34(6):516-520.

Acute Osteomyelitis Shown as a Cold Lesion on Bone Scan

• Lee SM
• Bae SG
• Jo MR

Abstract

Acute osteomyelitis is usually shown as a localized area of increased activity (hot uptake) in the infectious focus on bone scintigraphy. In our patient, absence of radioactivity (cold lesion) was noted in the distal metaphyseal and diaphyseal regions of his right femur. Initial x-ray was interpreted as normal except for mild soft tissue swelling in the right thigh. The lesion was confirmed as an acute osteomyelitis with subperiosteal abscess on surgery. Staphylococcus aureus was the etiologic organism. We describe a case of acute osteomyelitis in a one-year-old boy shown as a cold lesion on bone scan.

Keyword

Acute osteomyelitis; 3-phase bone scintigraphy; Tc-99m MDP

MeSH Terms

Abscess
Femur
Humans
Male
Osteomyelitis*
Radioactivity
Radionuclide Imaging
Staphylococcus aureus
Technetium Tc 99m Medronate
Thigh
Technetium Tc 99m Medronate