[The capacities of autoleukocyte-labelled scintigraphy in the detection of foci of inflammation and suppuration].

The diagnostics of occult inflammation foci up to day remains the major and complicated problem in almost each clinical discipline. Whole-body scintigraphy and SPECT studies with 99mTc-autoleucocytes show silent foci of inflammation and infection. 68 patients (24 females and 44 males) aged 14-59 years with non-localized inflammatory diseases were evaluated. Each patient underwent routine clinical and laboratory investigation. But because of the inadequacy of other diagnostic procedures, the Tc-99m-WBC scans may be of great clinical importance. For the determining of the SPECT of thorax were performed using Tc-99m-HMPAO (hexametylpropilenaminoxime) labeled autoleucocytes. In 1, 3 and 24 hours post injection inflammatory foci were seen as the areas of pathogenic activity. In 24 patients the circumscribed activity seen in relation to heart convincingly demonstrated endo- and/or myocarditis. 16 patients showed acute inflammation in postoperative wound, empyema of pleura and mediastinitis as the consequences of cardiosurgery. In 16 patients whole-body scanning and SPECT of the head revealed chronic infection in nasopharynx and accessory nasal sinuses dental infection and the rest 7 patients had abdominal and pelvic inflammatory diseases, such as ulcerative colitis, intraabdominal and retroperitoneal septic foci, tubo-ovarial inflammatory disease. The data demonstrated that Tc-99m-leucocytes imaging is a highly sensitive and specific for the detection of inflammatory diseases of different localization.