Tibial Stress Fracture and "Shin Splint" Syndrome in the Same Patient Diagnosed on 99mTC-Methylene Diphosphonate Bone Scintigraphy and Single-Photon Emission/Computed Tomography

Indian J Nucl Med. 2023 Jan-Mar;38(1):76-78. doi: 10.4103/ijnm.ijnm_125_22. Epub 2023 Feb 24.

Abstract

We present a case of an 18-year-old male athlete who presented with complaints of right lower leg pain for 10 days following intense exercise. The most likely diagnosis was a possible tibial stress fracture or a ''shin splint'' syndrome. The radiograph did not reveal any significant abnormality in the form of any fracture or a cortical break. We performed planar bone scintigraphy including single-photon emission computed tomography (CT)/CT that revealed the presence of the two concomitant pathologies in the form of a hot spot which corresponded with a bone lesion in the tibial stress fracture and subtle remodeling activity without evidence of significant cortical lesion in the shin splints in bilateral lower limbs (R>L).

Keywords: Bone scintigraphy; shin splints; single-photon emission/computed tomography; soleus enthesopathy; tibial stress fractures.