Intestinal accumulation of 99mTc-MDP in a patient with protein-losing enteropathy.

A 36-year-old woman was hospitalized because of severe diffuse joint pain. Hypoproteinemia was found in the routine laboratory work-up. Prompted by the joint pain, a 99m Tc-MDP bone scan was done: the planar whole-body views did not reveal any skeletal abnormality. However, on the anterior view, unexpected abdominal activity was noted in the ascending and transverse colon (arrows). The diagnosis of protein-losing enteropathy was established with a positive 99m Tc-human serum albumin scintigraphy. Intestinal accumulation of bone-seeking radiotracers is exceedingly rare; furthermore, its mechanism remains to be elucidated [1, 2].