Grafted bone used in acetabular reconstruction: assessment by SPECT scintigraphy

Single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) was carried out at the 1st, 6th, and 12th month after the operation and the uptakes on serial SPECT scintigrams were normalized. The horizontal histogram of scintigraphic activity at the level of the central grafted bone in the coronal image was designated the profile curve. Seven patients who had undergone bipolar hip arthroplasty for osteoarthritis of the hip were randomly selected. Five of seven profile curves obtained at the 1st month demonstrated a single peak at the host-graft junction. The profile curve obtained at the 6th month showed two peaks at the host-graft junction and the priphery of the grafted bone in all patients. The profile curve of the 12th month showed slightly increased activity in the center of the grafted bone. This preliminary study demonstrates that comparison of the serial profile curves on SPECT is valuable in evaluating the progress of incorporation of the grafted bone in hip arthroplasty. (orig.)