Osteomalacia in the elderly: the value of radio-isotope bone scanning in patients with equivocal biochemistry.

Radio-isotope bone scanning was used to detect osteomalacia in 17 elderly subjects who had equivocal biochemical evidence of this condition. The scan was positive in 10 of the 17 subjects. Bone biopsy confirmed osteomalacia in all 10, but also identified a further two cases. Isotope bone scanning is a practical and relatively non-invasive method of detecting osteomalacia in elderly subjects.