technetium-tc-99m-medronate and Hemiplegia

The pathogenesis of reflex sympathetic dystrophy (RSD) is not completely understood. However, an excessive regional inflammation, sensitization of primary somatosensory afferents, and sensitization of spinal neurons are considered to have a role in the pathogenesis of RSD. The underlying pathophysiology relating the clinical picture may help to determine the pharmacotherapeutic approach for an individual patient. Scintigraphy using radiolabelled human polyclonal non-specific immunoglobulin (HIG) has been recognized as a useful tool for the localization of inflammatory disorders. Thirty-six consecutive RSD patients associated with hemiplegia were included in this study. All the patients in this study had three phases bone scan and Tc-99m HIG scintigraphy. On admission, of 36 patients with positive bone scan, 30 had positive Tc-99m HIG scan. All the patients were symptomatic at the time of bone scanning. On the contrary, 24 out of 36 patients subsequently became asymptomatic at an 8-month re-evaluation period. Tc-99m HIG scintigraphy is a non-invasive complementary method for the determination of ongoing inflammatory reactions which also aids the clinicians to predict the response to anti-inflammatory therapy at the very early phase of RSD associated with hemiplegia. This preliminary study may be a source of inspiration for further studies with larger series and longer follow-up .

Topics: Aged; Bone and Bones; Female; Hemiplegia; Humans; Inflammation; Male; Middle Aged; Prognosis; Prospective Studies; Radionuclide Imaging; Radiopharmaceuticals; Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy; Technetium Tc 99m Medronate

Twenty-two patients with cerebral vascular accident (CVA), clinically confirmed by head computed tomography, were observed for symptoms of the reflex sympathetic dystrophy syndrome (RSDS). All patients received triple phase bone scans; 16 scans were positive for RSDS. Patients with negative scans had no symptoms of RSDS. Five patients with positive scans had RSDS symptoms at the time of bone scanning. Seven of 11 patients with positive scans but no symptoms of RSDS at the time of bone scan developed symptoms of RSDS within six months. We found a significant relationship between positive bone scans and the subsequent development of RSDS (p < 0.01). Considering only those patients who were asymptomatic for RSDS at the time of bone scanning, we found bone scanning to be a good predictor for the future development of clinical RSDS. We found the correlation between positive bone scans and the subsequent development of clinical RSDS in previously asymptomatic individuals to be statistically significant (p < 0.05). We conclude that bone scans may be a good predictor of patients at risk for developing clinical RSDS after CVA.

Topics: Bone and Bones; Cerebrovascular Disorders; Female; Hemiplegia; Humans; Male; Predictive Value of Tests; Prognosis; Radionuclide Imaging; Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy; Technetium Tc 99m Medronate; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

Eighty-five patients with cerebral vascular accidents were assessed with three-phase bone scintigraphy of the hands and with whole-body delayed bone imaging. Nine patients (10%) had normal three-phase bone images. Fifty-five patients (65%) showed decreased blood flow and blood-pool images of the hands and wrists with normal delayed bone scintigrams, indicating the effect of paralysis or disuse. Twenty-one patients (25%) had diffuse increased uptake with periarticular accentuation, felt to be bone-scintigraphic evidence of reflex sympathetic dystrophy of the hands and wrists; in two patients this occurred before its clinical appearance. Thirteen of the 21 reflex sympathetic dystrophy syndromes (RDS)-involved limbs (62%) had increased blood flow, whereas 8 (38%) had decreased flow. Gross limb blood flow appears to be related to the degree of muscle activity, but flow may be altered by the presence of sympathetic changes. A possible dissociation between whole-limb flow and bone blood flow in paralyzed limbs involved with RDS is discussed. The elbow was involved in only one case, and a true "shoulder-hand" distribution was seen in only 11 of 21 cases (52%). Five patients (6%) had leg involvement on whole-body imaging. Traumatic synovitis of the wrist, and trauma to subluxed shoulders, could be recognized on the delayed study.

Topics: Adult; Aged; Arm; Bone and Bones; Cerebrovascular Disorders; Female; Hand; Hemiplegia; Humans; Hyperemia; Male; Middle Aged; Radionuclide Imaging; Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy; Regional Blood Flow; Shoulder; Technetium Tc 99m Medronate; Time Factors

Topics: Adult; Diphosphonates; Female; Hemiplegia; Hip Joint; Humans; Myositis Ossificans; Pelvic Bones; Radionuclide Imaging; Technetium; Technetium Tc 99m Medronate; Thigh; Time Factors