Relationship between three phase bone scintigram and prognosis after sympathetic blockade in reflex sympathetic dystrophy of the hand

The authors attempted to correlate the changes in three phase bone scintigram (TPBS) with prognosis after sympathetic blockade in reflex sympathetic dystrophy (RSD) of the hand. Subjects were 12 patients of RSD in acute or dystrophic stage, who all had increased images on TPBS. Either intravenous regional sympathectomy with guanethidine or stellate ganglion block was performed repeatedly. We compared TPBS obtained just before and after this series of sympathetic blocks and evaluated the eventual recovery of function of the hand. In 8 patients, blood flow (phase 1) image of TPBS decreased after the blockade. Of these patients, those who showed almost normalized tracer activity not only on flow image but on blood pool (phase 2) and delayed (phase 3) image, returned to normal. But others with normalized blood flow and still increased activity in blood pool and delayed image, remained with mild contracture of the hand. These results suggest that normalization of blood pool and delayed image on TPBS is a predictor of subsequent recovery after sympathetic blockade in RSD. (author)