Honda sign in radiology The Honda sign refers to vertically oriented increased radiotracer uptake in the bilateral sacral ala forming an “H”-shaped configuration on bone scans. This finding is highly suspicious for presence of sacral insufficiency fractures.
What is the Mickey Mouse sign in Radiology? In the spine, the Mickey Mouse sign is seen when there is radiotracer uptake in the entire vertebral body and in the spinous process leading to an inverted triangular appearance that mimics the appearance of Mickey Mouse’s head and ears and is more typically related to Paget’s …
Can Pagets disease be distinguished from cancer in the bones on nuclear medicine studies? Paget’s disease typically is associated with focal areas of intensely increased radiotracer uptake in the flat bones or in the ends of the long bones. The uptake is usually diffuse, although there can be focal areas of increased uptake. There is …
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Is radiotracer uptake in the lungs normal on a bone scan? Radiotracer uptake in the lung is almost never normal on a bone scan and is usually associated with malignant pleural effusions, large tumors, inflammatory processes, or metastatic disease. Metastatic osteosarcoma has particularly intense uptake when involving the lungs. Lung uptake itself is usually detected …
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Are three phase bone scans alone useful for the diagnosis of osteomyelitis? Three-phase bone scans can be positive for osteomyelitis if there is a focal area of intense radiotracer uptake. This is particularly true when a patient has a superficial area of infection, such as an ulcer or cellulitis. In such a case, the question …
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What scans can be used to improve diagnostic accuracy for detecting osteomyelitis? Nuclear medicine studies to consider in addition to a three-phase bone scan in patients with suspected osteomyelitis are an indium-111 ( 111 In) white blood cell (WBC) scan for the extremities; a gallium-67 ( 67 Ga) scan for the spine; or an FDG PET/CT scan, which can …
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What are the causes of cold or photopenic defects on bone scans? Cold defects or photopenic defects on bone scans represent areas of decreased radiotracer uptake compared to surrounding normal bone tissue. These defects occur when there is impaired delivery of technetium-99m-labeled bone scanning agents to specific areas or when there is reduced osteoblastic activity. …
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