A comparison of whole-body turboSTIR MR imaging and planar 99mTc-methylene diphosphonate scintigraphy in the examination of patients with suspected skeletal metastases.

OBJECTIVE: This study was undertaken to compare whole-body turbo short inversion time inversion recovery MR imaging and 99mTc-methylene diphosphonate planar scintigraphy in the examination of patients with suspected skeletal metastases.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Twenty-five patients with known or suspected skeletal metastatic disease underwent both whole-body turbo short inversion time inversion recovery MR imaging and whole-body 99mTc-methylene diphosphonate scintigraphy.

RESULTS: MR imaging revealed metastases at 57 of 175 possible sites (sensitivity, 96.5%, specificity, 100%; positive predictive value, 100%). Scintigraphy revealed metastases at 43 of 175 possible sites (sensitivity, 72%; specificity, 98%; positive predictive value, 95%) (McNemar test, 0.01; p = .016). Discrepancies in skeletal evaluation by whole-body MR imaging and scintigraphy were observed in six (24%) of 25 patients. Soft-tissue abnormalities were identified in 13 (52%) of 25 patients with MR imaging alone.

CONCLUSION: Preliminary results suggest that whole-body MR imaging is an effective method of examining patients with suspected skeletal metastases, with better sensitivity than conventional planar 99mTc-methylene diphosphonate scintigraphy.