technetium-tc-99m-exametazime and Cholecystitis

99mTc-HMPAO labeled leukocyte scanning was performed on 38 patients with clinically suspected acute cholecystitis (AC) to evaluate its diagnostic value. The typical finding was an increasing accumulation of the tracer in the gallbladder wall in a 4 hour series of scintigrams. Leukocyte scan was positive in 16 of 17 patients with surgically and histologically confirmed AC. There were no false-positive findings. The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of scintigraphy were 94, 100, and 96%, respectively. In 2 patients with acute acalculous cholecystitis true-positive findings were observed. Scintigraphy with 99mTc-HMPAO labeled leukocytes is a valuable new imaging method in AC.

Topics: Acute Disease; Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Blood Sedimentation; C-Reactive Protein; Cholecystitis; Female; Humans; Leukocytes; Male; Middle Aged; Organotechnetium Compounds; Oximes; Radionuclide Imaging; Sensitivity and Specificity; Technetium Tc 99m Exametazime

One hundred patients with suspected acute abdominal inflammation were imaged at 0.5, 2-3, 4-6, and 24 hours after the administration of Tc-99m HMPAO labeled autologous leukocytes. Scan findings were retrospectively compared with final diagnosis, serum C-reactive protein (CRP), and antibiotic treatment. Clinical findings were confirmed with surgery, barium enema, or sigmoidoscopy in 61 patients, and diagnosis was based only on clinical findings in 13 patients. In 26 patients, symptoms subsided before a final diagnosis was made. Tc-99m leukocyte images were positive in 45 of the 61 patients with a confirmed diagnosis, including all patients with acute cholecystitis (N = 4) and inflammatory bowel disease (N = 8). They were also positive in nineteen out of 25 patients who had acute colonic diverticulitis and in 6 out of 7 who had intra-abdominal abscesses. Abnormal activity was found in patients with colonic carcinoma, small bowel infarction, and acute appendicitis. Abnormal activity was visualized in 0.5-hour images in all but one of the positive cases. With the exception of two postoperative cases, malignant lymphoma, and a liver abscess, a CRP level of greater than 75 mg/L was associated with positive image findings. Antibiotic treatment did not affect imaging findings. Imaging with Tc-99m labeled leukocytes appears to be valuable for detecting and localizing abdominal inflammation, and three-phase imaging during the first 4-6 hours is recommended. In some cases, 24-hour images may be useful for distinguishing small bowel from large bowel inflammation.

Topics: Abscess; Acute Disease; C-Reactive Protein; Cholecystitis; Diverticulitis, Colonic; Humans; Inflammatory Bowel Diseases; Leukocytes; Organotechnetium Compounds; Oximes; Radionuclide Imaging; Technetium Tc 99m Exametazime; Time Factors