Diagnosis of bone infection using 99m Tc-HMPAO labelled leukocytes.

In order to evaluate the importance of 99mTc-hexamethylpropylene amine oxime (99mTc-HMPAO) leukocyte scintigraphy in the diagnosis of bone infection, we retrospectively reviewed 324 patients. Abnormal findings were seen in 221 patients. In the other 103 cases acute pathological inflammation could be ruled out. The patients with pathological findings were divided into four groups according to the location of the infection. This method showed the localizations of skeletal disorders and its differences to other diagnostic imaging modalities. The underlying abnormalities causing the inflammation were determined. In conclusion, 99mTc-HMPAO leukocyte scintigraphy is still a very sensitive method for either whole body screening or local detection of acute or exacerbated chronic osteomyelitis. The advantages of this method over other diagnostic imaging methods are shown.