Abstract
Scintigraphy with technetium-99m labelled white blood cells (WBCs) is routinely used in our hospital for the assessment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The main disadvantages of this diagnostic tool are its time-consuming nature and the handling of blood itself. 99mTc-LeukoScan is a relatively new, easily prepared agent that is used for the detection of osteomyelitis. To assess its value in IBD, a scintigraphic head-to-head comparison was performed between 99mTc-LeukoScan and 99mTc-WBCs. 99mTc-LeukoScan scintigraphy was performed in six patients with clinically active IBD and increased uptake on 99mTc-WBC images. The interval between the scintigraphic studies ranged from 2 to 7 days, and endoscopy was subsequently performed to confirm active IBD. In three out of six patients with increased uptake on the 99mTc-WBC scans, 99mTc-LeukoScan images showed very discreet activity in the bowel, but the sites did not correspond with the inflammation sites seen on 99mTc-WBC scintigraphy and found at endoscopy. In the other three patients, 99mTc-LeukoScan scintigraphy revealed a physiological distribution but no abnormalities. In conclusion, 99mTc-LeukoScan is not an alternative agent for the assessment of IBD. A prospective study is not justified owing to the false-negative results.
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Received 24 September and in revised form 28 October 2001
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Stokkel, M.P., Reigman, H.I. & Pauwels, E.K. Scintigraphic head-to-head comparison between 99mTc-WBCs and 99mTc-LeukoScan in the evaluation of inflammatory bowel disease: a pilot study. Eur J Nucl Med 29, 251–254 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00259-001-0708-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00259-001-0708-y