Review of Solitary¹⁸F Bone Scan Lesions

Eight per cent of all 18F bone scans and 11% of abnormal scans demonstrate solitary lesions. This review analyzes 100 solitary lesions and the correlation with radiologic, pathologic and clinical findings. Several interesting findings and patterns emerge. Metastatic tumor accounts for 54% of the solitary lesions of which less than half are apparent roentgenographically, requiring pathologic examination for confirmation of final diagnosis. Roughly one fourth of solitary lesions occur in the extremities. At least half were totally unsuspected clinically which shows the importance of scanning the entire skeleton. Etiology and location of the lesions are discussed.