Scintigraphy of benign bone disease

Bone scintigraphy is ideally suited for the investigation of benign bone disease as it functions at a physiological level. It is freely available and has whole-body capability and high-contrast resolution. When coupled with single-photon emission computed tomography/computed tomography (SPECT/CT), it can be utilized to provide precise anatomical localization, attenuation correction, and therefore better lesion localization. A considerable volume of data has accumulated on the role of bone scintigraphy in trauma and its complications, overuse injuries, vascular disease of bone, metabolic bone diseases, and a variety of other disorders. This article is an overview of the established applications and signposts of potential future applications with the increasing prevalence of SPECT/CT devices and technical advances in attenuation correction, collimator modeling, and resolution recovery software.