JOURNAL ARTICLE
REVIEW
Add like
Add dislike
Add to saved papers

The role of bone scintigraphy in diagnosing reflex sympathetic dystrophy.

Three-phase bone scintigraphy is used often to diagnose reflex sympathetic dystrophy of the hand. This study presents an analysis of the literature relating three-phase bone scanning to reflex sympathetic dystrophy in the upper extremity. The data show a wide variability in scintigraphic accuracy in patients with clinically obvious reflex sympathetic dystrophy. The results of bone scintigraphy correlate best with the clinical diagnosis of reflex sympathetic dystrophy within the first 20-26 weeks of onset. Even then, the sensitivity in the most recent series approximates 50%. After 26 weeks, there is a poor correlation between three-phase bone scanning and reflex sympathetic dystrophy. Consequently, three-phase bone scintigraphy should not be used as a major criterion in diagnosing reflex sympathetic dystrophy. The diagnosis of reflex sympathetic dystrophy remains a clinical diagnosis made by an experienced hand surgeon.

Full text links

We have located links that may give you full text access.
Can't access the paper?
Try logging in through your university/institutional subscription. For a smoother one-click institutional access experience, please use our mobile app.

For the best experience, use the Read mobile app

Mobile app image

Get seemless 1-tap access through your institution/university

For the best experience, use the Read mobile app

All material on this website is protected by copyright, Copyright © 1994-2024 by WebMD LLC.
This website also contains material copyrighted by 3rd parties.

By using this service, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy.

Your Privacy Choices Toggle icon

You can now claim free CME credits for this literature searchClaim now

Get seemless 1-tap access through your institution/university

For the best experience, use the Read mobile app