Whole-body skeletal MRI has replaced nuclear medicine skeletal scintigraphy in several key areas for about 15 years. As a replacement for skeletal scintigraphy, it demonstrates significantly better accuracy in detecting skeletal metastases and/or degenerative changes, without exposure to radiation.
Risk factors
- Obesity
- Lack of exercise
- Poor posture
- Heavy lifting
Scintigraphy detects skeletal changes by introducing a radioactive substance (99m technetium bisphosponate) and is limited by the low image resolution, lack of specificity, long examination time and radiation exposure.
Whole-body skeletal MRI can detect skeletal changes more sensitively and distinguish them reliably from benign, degenerative changes (signs of wear and tear). In addition, in contrast to scintigraphy, whole-body skeletal MRI provides information on lymph nodes and organ metastases without the need for additional examinations.
