(iii) The basic science of nuclear medicine

Functional imaging techniques in nuclear medicine provide crucial diagnostic information in a variety of clinical settings that are encountered regularly in orthopaedic practice. It is important that the orthopaedic surgeon is aware of the modalities on offer and appreciates the relative strengths and limitations of these techniques. This article will describe the physical principles underlying nuclear medicine imaging with single-photon and positron-emitting radiotracers. It will then go on to illustrate the clinical applications of these techniques as applied to pathological conditions of the bone, with particular emphasis on bone scintigraphy and hybrid imaging techniques, such as single-photon emission computed tomography/computed tomography (SPECT/CT) and positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT).