24-hour whole-body retention of sup(99m)Tc-diphosphonate

A new method is described for the examination of bone tissue metabolism; a 24-hour retention of diphosphonate labelled with radioactive sup(99m)Tc (assessed using a whole-body counter or by estimation of the amount of labelled substance excreted in the course of 24 hours via the urine). The values are elevated in primary hyperparathyroidism, osteomalacia, generalized Paget's disease, multiple bone metastases; the values are not uniform in osteoporosis. The method is simple, sensitive and reliable (provided renal function is normal), suited for screening, as part of specialized osteological diagnosis as well as for repeated longitudinal investigations. (author)