OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the cost-effectiveness of @entity2996 ( @entity2996 ) compared with radionuclide bone scan in the evaluation of @entity1 with clinically suspected @entity173 . DESIGN: The medical records of all @entity1 who had been seen in the emergency room over a 4 1/2 year period with a clinically suspected @entity173 , negative or equivocal plain films, and either a subsequent bone scan or @entity2996 examination were retrospectively reviewed. The time to diagnosis, admission rate, and time to surgery were determined. A two-sample t-test was used to assess the statistical significance of the results. A theoretical cost analysis was performed using current charges to estimate all expenses. @entity1 : Forty @entity1 (11 male, 29 female; age 28-99 years) satisfied our inclusion criteria. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: Twenty-one @entity1 had bone scans (six with @entity174 ), and 19 had @entity2996 (four with @entity174 ). The time to diagnosis was 2.24 +/- 1.30 days for bone scanning and 0.368 +/- 0.597 days for @entity2996 (P < 0.0001). Twenty @entity1 in the bone scan group were admitted compared with 13 in the @entity2996 group. The time to surgery was at least 1 day longer in @entity1 undergoing bone scanning. Bone scanning resulted in higher @entity1 costs compared with @entity2996 because of the delay in diagnosis. In the evaluation of @entity1 with suspected @entity173 , early @entity2996 is more cost-effective than delayed bone scanning. Further prospective studies comparing the cost-effectiveness of early @entity2996 with early bone scanning are needed.

Magnetic resonance imaging: a cost-effective alternative to bone scintigraphy in the evaluation of XXXX with suspected @entity173 .

@entity1 :: ('9606', 'Species') :: ['patients', 'patient', 'PATIENTS'] @entity173 :: ('MESH:D006620', 'Disease') :: ['hip fractures', 'hip fracture'] @entity174 :: ('MESH:D050723', 'Disease') :: ['fractures'] @entity2996 :: ('MESH:C564543', 'Disease') :: ['MRI', 'magnetic resonance imaging']
@entity1 :: (9606,Species) :: ['patients']
