The Serendipitous Diagnosis of a Pseudoaneurysm by the Three-phase Bone Scan

A pseudoaneurysm represents untreated arterial injury and is characterized by a hematoma in dynamic communication with an arterial wall laceration. Radionuclide angiography has been utilized as a screening procedure to detect post-traumatic arterial injury. A normal radionuclide study virtually eliminates the possibility of significant arterial trauma. Radionuclide angiography is typically performed when a specific vascular abnormality is suspected; however, isotope angiography is an inherent component of any nuclear medicine procedure that requires the intravenous administration of a radiopharmaceutical and provides valuable information about organ perfusion. The following case describes the serendipitous diagnosis of a pseudoaneurysm on the perfusion segment of a three-phase bone scan.