Diagnosis of Traumatic Disorders

Nuclear medicine has a limited but important role in trauma and its complications. It is particularly useful and indicated in radiologically occult acute fractures including those in children who are the victims of physical abuse and in stress fractures. It is also used in the assessment of physeal closure and stimulation after trauma and to predict the outcome of leg length by semiquantitative analysis. Bone scintigraphy can also detect chronic ligament and acute and chronic meniscal lesions. Certain technical considerations, particularly related to meticulous positioning, the use of single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), and the use of magnification during acquisition, are important to maximize the diagnostic yield of scintigraphic modalities, particularly bone scans in traumatic disorders. SPECT/CT has become an important tool in the evaluation and management of a wider variety of orthopedic patients including many traumatic conditions.