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In 34 patients in their two first decades of life with primary bone tumours in the spine and pelvis, the most common benign tumour was histiocytosis X and the most common malignant tumour, Ewing's sarcoma. X-rays were positive in 32 out of 34 cases but of little diagnostic value and primary complaints were without significance. The final diagnosis can only be made after a biopsy.

The clinical value of cytological aspiration biopsy in 85 patients with lytic bone lesions was studied. In 71 cases cytology was of diagnostic value, but in 14 cases it was inconclusive or misleading. The method is considered a simple primary diagnostic procedure especially in lytic bone lesions of uncertain nature.

A case of spontaneously healing histiocytosis X followed over 9 years is presented. The lesion was located in the cervical and dorsal spine and had unusual radiological features such as soft tissue swelling, involvement of the pedicles and recovery with fusion between adjacent vertebra.

The purpose of the present prospective study was to assess the value of 99m-Tc-MDP wrist scintigraphy performed as a routine examination in excluding or detecting carpal scaphoid bone fracture.The following conclusions are drawn: 99m-Tc-MDP wrist scintigraphy is of high sensitivity, but low specificity in the detection of scaphoid bone fractures. the scintigraphy is expedient to exclude scaphoid bone fracture, if performed after secondary clinical and radiographic assessment, and guided by negative scintigrams a reduction of clinical examinations, radiographics and superfluous casting days is achieved.

The value of isotope scanning in patients with suspected fracture of the scaphoid bone of the wrist was examined. For this purpose comparable examinations were made of 50 patients using both radiography and isotope scanning. With a normal scan, the suspicion of fracture or other bone diseases can be excluded. Increased focal activity corresponding to the region of the scaphoid bone indicates the possibility of a fracture, even if a fracture cannot be seen on the initial X-rays.