Bone Scintigraphy in Moore Hemiarthroplasty with and Without Cement Following Femoral Neck Fractures: A Controlled Study

In a controlled clinical trial patients with acute femoral neck fractures were allocated into two groups of treatment. One group (14 patients) had a Moore hemiarthroplasty cemented with methyl methacrylate, and the other (15 patients) a non-cemented prosthesis. Bone scanning with 99m-Tc-MDP was performed 6 weeks, 3 months, 6 months and 12 months after the operation. Increased activity without time-trend was found at the operated side during the entire observation period in both groups. the activity was equally increased in the two groups. No correlation was found between the scintigraphic activity and the functional hip assessment according to Merle Aubigne.

Bone scintigraphy is of no diagnostic value in the evaluation of a hemiarthroplasty, cemented or without cementation, during the first year postoperatively, as an increased activity might be expected through the entire period.