The clinical significance of technetium-99m methylene diphosphonate bone scintigraphy findings in patients with rhabdomyolysis

Objective This study evaluated the relationship between bone scintigraphy finding and clinical factors and assessed the prognostic value of bone scintigraphy finding in patients with rhabdomyolysis. Patients and methods We retrospectively enrolled 143 patients with rhabdomyolysis who had undergone bone scintigraphy. Bone scintigraphy was classified into three groups: no or equivocal soft tissue uptake, a localized uptake, and a diffuse uptake. The relationship of bone scintigraphy findings with clinical factors was evaluated. Multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to identify the risk factors for acute renal failure (ARF) and renal replacement therapy (RRT). Results Of 143 patients, 52 (36.4%) experienced ARF and 12 (8.4%) required RRT. Among cases caused by exercise, 83.7% showed localized soft tissue uptake. Diffuse soft tissue uptake was only shown among the patients with rhabdomyolysis caused by drug and toxin. Patients with localized or diffuse soft tissue uptake had higher levels of serum creatine kinase, myoglobin, aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, and lactate dehydrogenase compared with patients with no or equivocal uptake (P<0.05). Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that age, female sex, and serum phosphate level were associated with a risk for ARF and only serum creatinine level was associated with a risk for RRT (P<0.05). Bone scintigraphy findings failed to show significance for predicting ARF and RRT (P>0.05). Conclusion Soft tissue uptake on bone scintigraphy in patients with rhabdomyolysis was related to etiologies and showed limited value for predicting ARF and RRT.