| Objective To analyze the bone imaging characteristics of osteoporotic fractures and evaluate its value in the differential diagnosis of metastatic bone tumors. Methods The clinical and bone imaging data of 53 patients with osteoporotic fractures were retrospectively studied, and the characteristic imaging manifestations of osteoporotic fractures were proposed. Through a reading test, the feasibility and clinical efficacy of bone imaging in the differential diagnosis of osteoporotic fractures and tumor bone metastases were evaluated in 53 patients with osteoporotic fractures and 100 randomly selected patients with bone metastases. Results Osteoporotic fractures were commonly appear as multiple lesions on skeletal scintigraphy. Lesions usually showed high uptakes shipped as “linear” in vertebra, “H” type in sacrum, and “spot” or short line vertical to skeleton courser in rib and other sites, and no dilatational growth or distribution along the bone was found. When the above imaging features were used to identify the bone metastases, the diagnostic sensitivity, specificity and accuracy were 96.2%, 97.0% and 96.7%, respectively. Moreover, both the judgment results between the readers (Kappa value: 0.80-0.89) and the reader himself (Kappa value: 0.82-0.86) have a better consistency. Conclusions In bone scintigraphy, osteoporotic fracture has its characteristic imaging manifestations, which can be used not only in the diagnosis of osteoporotic fractures, but also in the differential diagnosis between the osteoporotic fractures and bone metastases. |