Significance of Whole Body bone Scan in bone and Joint Tuberculosis

Kim, Nam Hyun; Park, Jin Hong

Abstract

For confirmative diagnosis of bone and joint tuberculosis, it is made by culture method, inoculation to guinea pig, or histological examination of the specimen obtained from a lesion site. But plain reontgenogram is not valuable for early detection of the disease because specific, abnormal finding is not found in early stage and only found in late stage as progressive destruction of bone and joint. Many reports were made thst whole body bone scan, as diagnostic tool, was valuable in other orthopedic disease, but report for its diagnostic value in bone and joint tuberculosis is very rare. The study was carried out on 35 patients of bone and joint tuberculosis who whole body bone scan was performed before operation from Janusry, 1978 to December, 1987 in Depaartment of Orthopedic Surgery, Yonsei University college of Medicine. The following results were obtained. 1. Value of early detection of tuberculosis is not much as pyogenic infection. Intensity of uptake was decreased in tuberculosis than acute pyogenic osteomyelitis and arthritis, but increased than chronic osteomyelitis. 2. Intensity of uptake was decreased in female than male, and also increased in age. group under 10 and over 60 than other age group. 3. The longer duration of the disease, the more decreased intensity of uptake. 4. Intensity of uptake is increased in joint tuberculosis than bone, snd also increased in tuberculosis of spine than long bone. 5. Multifocal disease was detected in 14.3% by whole body bone scan.