Bone-to-Bone, Joint-to-Bone and Joint-to-Joint Ratios in Normal and Diseased Skeletal States Using Region-of-Interest Technique and Bone-Seeking Radiopharmaceuticals

Summary Bone-to-bone, iliosacral joints-to-os sacrum and joint-to-joint ratios were computed using the regionof-interest technique 2 to 3 hrs. after injection of 99mTc Sn-methylene-diphosphonate or 99mTc Sn-pyrophosphate in 139 patients with skeletal diseases (bone tumours, degenerative changes of the spine and joints, inflammatory changes of joints) as well as in 123 patients with normal skeletal states. In the latter group, iliosacral joints-to-os sacrum ratios decreased with increasing age of the patients. In patients with osseous metastases of the spine ratios of 0.80 to 4.0 occurred (reference area second v…