Detection of soft-tissue infections and osteomyelitis using a technetium-99m-labeled anti-granulocyte monoclonal antibody fragment.

Unlabelled: Imaging of osteomyelitis and soft-tissue infections can be problematic with currently available agents; bone scans are often false-positive. Indium-111-oxine and 99mTc-HMPAO white blood cell (WBC) scans require ex vivo handling of blood with potential exposure to infectious agents, and 99mTc-antigranulocyte (IgG1) antibodies need 24 hr for final diagnosis.

Methods: We investigated the use of 99mTc-murine anti-granulocyte monoclonal Fab' fragment in 20 patients with suspected osteomyelitis of soft-tissue infections.