Noninvasive detection of human cardiac transplant rejection with indium-111 antimyosin (Fab) imaging.

Diagnosis of rejection after cardiac transplantation is currently made by right ventricular endomyocardial biopsy. To evaluate antimyosin imaging as a noninvasive means of detecting human cardiac rejection, the Fab fragment of murine monoclonal antimyosin antibodies was labeled with indium-111 and given intravenously to 18 patients (age 45 +/- 12 years) in 20 studies 7 days to 9 years after transplantation. Endomyocardial biopsy specimens were obtained at the time of each imaging study. Eight patients had positive scans confirmed by biopsy as rejection, and eight patients had negative scans and no evidence of rejection on biopsy. Discordance was observed in four studies, two with positive scans and no rejection on biopsy and two with negative scans and positive biopsy. The sensitivity, specificity, and overall accuracy of the technique were each 80%. Imaging with radiolabeled antimyosin antibody Fab fragments may be of value in the noninvasive identification of rejection in the cardiac transplant recipient.