Open AccessSerendipitous detection of extraosseous metastases on bone scintigraphy: Utility of cross-sectional and correlative imaging
Author(s) -
Jiwan Paudel,
Harmandeep Singh,
Ashwani Sood,
Anish Bhattacharya,
Bhagwant Rai Mittal
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
world journal of nuclear medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1607-3312
pISSN - 1450-1147
DOI - 10.4103/1450-1147.215497
Subject(s) - medicine , bone scintigraphy , scintigraphy , radiology , soft tissue , correlative , thorax (insect anatomy) , breast cancer , bone metastasis , cancer , nuclear medicine , pathology , anatomy , philosophy , linguistics
Whole body bone scintigraphy is most commonly used imaging modality to detect and assess the extent of osteoblastic osseous metastases in malignant conditions, though visceral metastases need additional imaging. The authors describe a case of 50-year-old postoperative breast cancer female where bone scintigraphy showed soft tissue uptake in thorax and hepatic region in addition to multiple skeletal metastases, indicating the involvement of three different organs by metastatic disease. The present case highlights that extraosseous tracer uptake in addition to abnormal osseous tracer uptake may raise the suspicion of widespread and visceral metastatic disease and warrant further evaluation in the form of cross-sectional and correlative imaging.