Novel imaging strategy for the detection of fat embolism after arthroplasty.

Introduction: Respiratory complications are common after arthroplasty with fat emboli and thromboembolic disease (PTE) being the most serious. As fat embolism from bone marrow should contain reticuloendothelial cells, we hypothesized that these cells take up colloid in the lung. A prospective tomographic study of 99m Tc phytate and perfusion was performed within 24 h after arthroplasty.