technetium-tc-99m-sulfur-colloid and Bone-Marrow-Diseases

Bone marrow aspiration and biopsy are excellent techniques for evaluating bone marrow, but this evaluation is limited to a small part of the total blood-forming organ. With the introduction of radionuclide bone marrow imaging, a simple technique became available that overcomes marrow sampling errors by giving a total body view of functioning marrow. Furthermore, the procedure is noninvasive and provides an atraumatic method for evaluating a number of clinical problems including a discrepancy between bone marrow histology and clinical status (possible marrow sampling error), the determination of amount of active marrow after radiation and chemotherapy when further therapy is being considered, detection of sites of extramedullary hematopoiesis, location of the optimal sites for bone marrow biopsy, the diagnosis and staging of diffuse hematologic disorders, detection of metastases, the diagnosis of bone marrow infarcts in hemolytic anemias, and detecting avascular necrosis of the femoral heads. There are two major classes of bone marrow agents: (1) those that are incorporated into the erythroid precursors such as radioiron and (2) colloids that are taken up by the reticuloendothelial system (RES). Indium-111 chloride was originally considered to be an erythropoietic agent but appears to share some properties of RES labels. The best label to use is dependent on the disease being evaluated.

Topics: Anemia, Aplastic; Anemia, Hemolytic; Anemia, Sickle Cell; Bone Marrow; Bone Marrow Diseases; Bone Neoplasms; Erythropoiesis; Femur Head Necrosis; Gold Colloid, Radioactive; Hematopoiesis; Humans; Indium; Iron Radioisotopes; Leukemia; Lymphoma; Mononuclear Phagocyte System; Polycythemia; Primary Myelofibrosis; Radioisotopes; Radionuclide Imaging; Technetium Tc 99m Sulfur Colloid

In 63 patients with primary extramedullary malignant lymphoma or plasmacytoma, a study was performed in order to evaluate bone marrow involvement. All patients underwent a 99mTc microcolloid bone marrow whole body imaging (scintigraphy), using a gamma camera interfaced with a computer, followed by nuclear magnetic resonance bone marrow imaging (MRI), (1.5 Tesla). MR images were made of the lumbosacral region, the pelvic region, both femoral and other parts of the skeleton, according to focal lesions in the scintigraphy. A posterior iliac crest bone marrow biopsy was used as a standard reference. In the present study, both scintigraphy and MRI showed a dissiminated or focal involvement or a combination of both. In 53 of the 63 patients (84%) the results were in accordance. Pathological MR signals or pathological findings in scintigraphy did not always correspond to tumorous bone marrow involvement, and were shown to reflect reactive changes in the central part of the skeleton in combination with a periphery radionuclide extention interpreted as a periphery compensatory hematopoietic proliferation. The negative predictive value of scintigraphy and MRI was 92% and 100%, respectively. When combining the results of both examinations, the positive predictive value increased from 49% to 58%, if the bone marrow biopsy is accepted as gold standard. The results indicate that bone marrow investigation performed simultaneously using scintigraphy and MRI is superior both to the use of either of the methods alone and to the traditional iliac crest bone marrow biopsy.

Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Bone Marrow; Bone Marrow Diseases; Female; Humans; Lymphoma; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Male; Middle Aged; Plasmacytoma; Predictive Value of Tests; Radionuclide Imaging; Technetium Tc 99m Sulfur Colloid; Whole-Body Counting

Bone marrow scintigraphy was performed in 29 patients with hemopoietic depletion states of various etiology. Two tracers were used for visualization of the marrow: 99mTc-sulphur-colloid and 111InCl3, some patients being examined by both indicators. 111InCl3 is bound on transferrin and is adsorbed on the surface of reticulocytes and erythroblasts). The scintillation camera PHO GAMMA SEARLE IV fitted with moving table and computer CLINCOM was used, so that whole body images were obtained. The comparison of all scans and marrow puncture smears was done. In patients with aplastic anemia with both hyperplastic or hypoplastic marrow good correlation of bone marrow scans and sternal puncture smears was found. In several cases the scintigraphic examination helped to establish a diagnosis of marrow depletion state. A peculiar disadvantage of the imaging method with either 99mTc-sulphur-colloid or 111InCl3 is that it shows the disorders in erythropoietic and reticuloendothelial cells, whereas the defects in myelopoietic cell series and platelet precursors are not provable. According to literature data, great attention is paid to the prognostic value of scintigraphic examination in aplastic anemia.

Topics: Adult; Anemia, Aplastic; Bone Marrow; Bone Marrow Diseases; Humans; Indium; Male; Middle Aged; Primary Myelofibrosis; Radioisotopes; Radionuclide Imaging; Sulfur; Technetium; Technetium Tc 99m Sulfur Colloid