Falsely Normal Radionuclide Scans for Osteomyelitis

Three children are described with osteomyelitis confirmed by roentgenogram, blood culture, bone culture, and/or histologic findings. None had an abnormal technetium scintigram. Despite the lack of falsely normal bone scans for osteomyelitis reported in the literature, our cases demonstrate the importance of instituting antibiotic therapy on the basis of clinical suspicion since no single nonsurgical procedure can be relied on to make a diagnosis of osteomyelitis.