RESUMO
Objective To compare the diagnostic efficacy of bone scintigraphy and MRI on vertebral metastases in patients with nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC). Methods Forty-seven patients of NPC and clinically confirmed metastatic disease in spine underwent bone scintigraphy and MR examination. The number of involved vertebri diagnosed with two methods were calculated and compared retrospectively. Results A total of 187 vertebral metastases were found in 47 patients, among which 153 (81.82%) were detected with bone scintigarphy and 182 (97.33%) were diagnosed with MRI (χ~2＝23.758, P＝0.000). Conclusion Compared with bone scintigraphy, MRI is superior in detecting vertebral metastases from NPC, and can be used as the first choice for the early diagnosis of spinal metastases from NPC.