The bone scan in patients with aluminium-associated bone disease.

ABSTRACT

The bone scans of 32 patients on regular dialysis who received desferrioxamine therapy for fracturing osteomalacia secondary to aluminium intoxication are reviewed. All scans show the same pattern, with lack of tracer deposition in bone and deposition in soft tissues. Therapy with desferrioxamine controlled the aluminium intoxication in all cases, and in 21 patients the bone scan reverted to normal or showed a pattern typical of hyperparathyroidism.