COMPARISON OF BONE SCANS, PARATHYROID-HORMONE LEVELS AND BONE-MINERAL DENSITIES IN HEMODIALYSIS-PATIENTS

We have evaluated bone scans, parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels and bone mineral densities (BMDs) of hemodialysis (HD) patients. The bone scans were grouped into 4 types (type 1-4). Type 1 showed a diffusely high activity of the tracer in the whole skeleton especially in the skull: secondary hyperparathyroidism pattern. Type 2 showed high background activity, the same pattern as osteomalacia. Type 3 was a mixture of types 1 and 2, Type 4 was almost normal. The PTH levels of type 1 were higher and the radius BMDs were lower than those of the other types. The radius BMDs in one third of type-2 patients were lower than the normal range. A comparison of bone scans, PTH and BMDs helps to evaluate bone changes in HD patients.