Quality of Bone Scans Compared with Time Between Dose and Scan

The usual time interval between the administration of technetium-labeled bone-seeking radiopharmaceuticals and imaging varies among nuclear-medical departments. Pharmacokinetic data indicate that the interval could be as short as 2 hr. We have studied overall quality of bone detail in 280 bone scans performed at intervals varying from 2 to 5 hr following injection of technetium-99m diphosphonate. No significant qualitative difference was found between the studies performed at 2 hr and those done at later intervals.