Evaluation of 99mTc diphosphonate kinetics and bone scans in patients with Paget's disease before and after calcitonin treatment

Abstract

Eleven patients with Paget's disease of bone underwent serial total body bone scars before and after therapy with calcitonin. All patients studied showed improvement clinically as well as biochemically. Scan improvement was noted in patients with mild disease. Patients with severe disease showed either to change or only slight improvement on the serial bone scars The scan was of greatest value in determining the extent of disease, especially in 3 patients in whom biochemical values were normal. A single pulse injection of 50 M.R.C. units of salmon calcitonin produced a significant increase in the blood clearance of 99mTc diphosphonate. The mechanism of this effect is not clear from this study.