Metabolic bone disease encompasses a number of disordersthat tend to present a generalized involvement of the wholeskeleton. The disorders are mostly related to increased boneturnover and increased uptake of radiolabelled diphosphonate.Skeletal uptake of 99mTc-labelled diphosphonate depends primarilyupon osteoblastic activity, and to a lesser extent, skeletalvascularity. A bone scan image therefore presents a functionaldisplay of total skeletal metabolism and has valuable role toplay in the assessment of patients with metabolic bone disorders.However, the bone scan appearances in metabolic bonedisease are often non-specific, and their recognition dependson increased tracer uptake throughout the whole skeleton. Itis the presence of local lesions, as in metastatic disease, thatmakes a bone scan appearance obviously abnormal. In theearly stages, there will be difficulty in evaluating the bone scansfrom many patients with metabolic bone disease. However, inthe more severe cases scan appearances can be quite strikingand virtually diagnostic.Metabolic bone disease encompasses a number of disordersthat tend to present a generalized involvement of the wholeskeleton. The disorders are mostly related to increased boneturnover and increased uptake of radiolabelled diphosphonate.Skeletal uptake of 99mTc-labelled diphosphonate depends primarilyupon osteoblastic activity, and to a lesser extent, skeletalvascularity. A bone scan image therefore presents a functionaldisplay of total skeletal metabolism and has valuable role toplay in the assessment of patients with metabolic bone disorders.However, the bone scan appearances in metabolic bonedisease are often non-specific, and their recognition dependson increased tracer uptake throughout the whole skeleton. Itis the presence of local lesions, as in metastatic disease, thatmakes a bone scan appearance obviously abnormal. In theearly stages, there will be difficulty in evaluating the bone scansfrom many patients with metabolic bone disease. However, inthe more severe cases scan appearances can be quite strikingand virtually diagnostic
