Tangential radiographs made al different llexion angles may allow for further assessment of patellar function. Stress radiographs can document ligament stability (10).•

We have shown that fluoroscopically-assisted radiographs allow more reproducible, and therefore reliable, detection of radiolucent lines in total knee arthroplasty (85).

Assessment of the stability of the components is significantly influenced by the radiological technique used. Conventional radiographs are not adequate for evaluation of the stability of total knee arthroplasty and should be replaced by fluoroscopically-assisted films (85).

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Computerized tomography may be helpful in assessing the rotational alignment of the components (13).

III-Radionuc!eotide studies :

Knight J. H. et al. found that plain films were oPuse in 80% of patients with loosening, while bone scintigraphy, where used, was diagnostic of femora! component loosening in 100% of cases, although patient numbers were rather small (86).

Nuclear medicine studies may be useful if the diagnosis is still in question. Combined technetium-labeled sulfur colloid (99mTc-Sc) and Indium-1 11-labeled leukocyte bone marrow scans appear to be the most accurate at this time (84).

The ability of technetium-labeled methylene diphosphonale 99mTc-MDP to distinguish loosening from infection is poor. The pattern of