Background: This study was performed to assess the utility of bone SPECT in the feet using a new commercially available uniplanar fan-beam collimator originally designed for cardiac imaging.
Methods: 18 patients with symptoms or signs of probable skeletal pathology in either the foot or ankle were imaged using a two headed gamma camera fitted with uniplanar fan-beam collimators. All patients were imaged 2.5-4 h after administration of 500-750 MBq 99mTc MDP. If indicated planar dynamic and blood pool images were also obtained. The SPECT acquisition was performed in a 128 x 128 matrix, giving a pixel size of 2.00-2.30 mm depending on the radius of orbit. Images were displayed as transaxial, coronal and sagittal slices and a three dimensional volume rendered image and displayed for reading by three readers blind to the clinical results. Sites of abnormal uptake on the foot SPECT scan were then compared with the site of known or suspected pathology and in 17 patients with planar radiology.
Results: The SPECT images produced using the uniplanar fan-beam collimators were of good quality in all patients with all three readers finding localisation easiest on the sagittal and three-dimensional images. In 10 patients abnormalities were found which could explain the patient's symptoms or signs and at the site expected from the patient's clinical history. In 5 patients there were abnormalities on the bone scan in the ipsilateral foot but at a different site, all were interpreted as degenerative disease. 2 patients had contralateral degenerative disease to side suggested by the clinical history and no abnormality in the bones of the foot with symptoms. One patient had bilateral degenerative disease. Planar radiology was normal or unhelpful in 13 of the 17 patients in which it was performed.
Conclusion: SPECT imaging of feet is possible and provides accurate localisation of abnormal uptake when performed using uniplanar fan-beam collimators with a standard acquisition time of 15 min for a double headed gamma camera.