Diffuse Cardiac Uptake Misdiagnosed as Cardiac Amyloidosis in Bone Scan

Abstract

In this presented case, a 77-year-old woman with an implanted prosthesis and ongoing knee pain underwent a bone scan using 99mTc-hydroxydiphosphonate (HDP) in suspicion for bone infection. An incidental finding from this scan revealed diffuse cardiac uptake, necessitating further diagnostic procedures to exclude the possibility of cardiac amyloidosis. In the subsequent 99mTc-3,3-diphosphono-1,2-propanodicarboxylic acid (DPD) scan and SPECT images, no perceptible cardiac uptake was observed at all. Upon retrospective review of the patient’s medical records, she received 1000 mg of ferric carboxymaltose for iron-deficient anemia the day before the 99mTc-HDP bone scan. Therefore, it was assumed that the diffuse and temporary cardiac activity was due to the transient iron overload. We present and share these bone scan images in order to avoid possible future misinterpretation of cardiac amyloidosis.

Keywords

• bone scan
• ^99mTc-HDP
• cardiac amyloidosis
• iron overload