Technetium—99M human immunoglobulin (HIG): A new substance for scintigraphic detection of bone and joint infections
✍ Scribed by H. G. Machens; N. Pallua; M. Becker; P. Mailaender; E. Schaller; P. Brenner; H. Bihl; W. Friedl; A. Berger
- Publisher
- John Wiley and Sons
- Year
- 1996
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 516 KB
- Volume
- 17
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 0738-1085
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✦ Synopsis
Technetium (99m-Tc)-labelled, polyclonal human immunoglobulin (HIG) has been described as a new agent to detect local infection and inflammation. In this study, we tested 99m-Tc HIG in 55 patients with suspected chronic (n = 42) and acute (n = 13) skeletal infection. Diagnosis was proven operatively (n = 44) and clinically (n = 1 I), including microbiological culture tests (n = 46). A gamma camera scan was performed 4 and 24 hours after i.v. injection of 500 MBq 99m-Tc-HIG. 99m-Tc-HIG scanning achieved a sensitivity of 91% and a specificity of 93%. We found one false negative and five false positive scintigraphic results in 55 patients. No clinical or biochemical side effects were encountered after 99m-Tc-HIG injection. We recommend this technique especially for localisation of low-grade, chronic osteomyelitis. The mechanisms and kinetics of 99m-Tc-HIG, however, are worth investigating more extensively.