Diagnostic Accuracy of Triphasic Bone Scan and SPECT/CT in Foot and Ankle Osteoarthritis

Diagnostic Accuracy of Triphasic Bone Scan and SPECT/CT for the Evaluation of Foot and Ankle Osteoarthritis Using MRI as Reference Standard

Status

Not yet recruiting

Phases

Unknown

Study type

Observational

Source

ClinicalTrials.gov

Registry ID

NCT07784257

Enrollment

Registered

2026-08-25

Start date

2026-08-20

Completion date

2028-01-20

Last updated

2026-09-02

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Ankle Osteoarthritis, Foot Osteoarthritis, Joint Diseases, Osteoarthritis

Keywords

SPECT/CT, Triphasic bone scan, Diagnostic accuracy

Brief summary

This cross-sectional study aims to assess the diagnostic accuracy of triphasic bone scintigraphy and SPECT/CT in evaluating foot and ankle osteoarthritis, using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) as the reference standard, and to determine the affected joints.

Detailed description

Osteoarthritis of the foot and ankle is a significant cause of chronic pain and functional impairment. Conventional radiography has limited sensitivity for early changes, while magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is considered the reference standard for evaluating cartilage, bone marrow edema, and soft tissue structures. Nuclear medicine techniques provide functional information about bone metabolism. Triphasic bone scan using technetium-99m methylene diphosphonate (99mTc-MDP) assesses perfusion, blood pool, and delayed skeletal uptake. However, planar imaging has limited spatial resolution and anatomical localization in the complex anatomy of the foot and ankle. Hybrid SPECT/CT combines the functional data of SPECT with the precise anatomical localization of CT, improving diagnostic confidence and specificity. This study will evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of triphasic bone scan and SPECT/CT compared with MRI in patients with suspected foot and ankle osteoarthritis.

Interventions

None listed

Study design

Observational model

CASE_ONLY

Time perspective

CROSS_SECTIONAL

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

ALL

Age

18 Years to No maximum

Healthy volunteers

Inclusion criteria

Age ≥ 18 years * Patients presenting with chronic foot and/or ankle pain suspected to be due to osteoarthritis * Clinical and/or radiographic suspicion of foot or ankle osteoarthritis

Exclusion criteria

* Age \< 18 years * Previous surgery or joint replacement of the affected foot or ankle * Bone tumors or metastatic bone disease * Active osteomyelitis or septic arthritis * Inflammatory arthropathies (e.g., rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, gout)

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame	Description
Diagnostic accuracy of triphasic bone scan and SPECT/CT	Baseline	Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of triphasic bone scintigraphy and SPECT/CT for detecting foot and ankle osteoarthritis, using MRI as the reference standard.

Secondary

Measure	Time frame	Description
Identification of affected joints	Baseline	Determination of the specific joints affected by osteoarthritis in the foot and ankle based on SPECT/CT and MRI findings.

Contacts

CONTACTAmira A Ebraheem, resident

aaabbb10121999@gmail.com01212838177

CONTACTMohamed A Mekawy, prof

M_mekkay51@yahoo.com01223196777

STUDY_CHAIRMohamed A Mekawy, prof

assiut

Outcome results