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Image acquisition and interpretation criteria for 99mTc-HMPAO-labelled white blood cell scintigraphy: results of a multicentre study

  • Original Article
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European Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

There is no consensus yet on the best protocol for planar image acquisition and interpretation of radiolabelled white blood cell (WBC) scintigraphy. This may account for differences in reported diagnostic accuracy amongst different centres.

Methods

This was a multicentre retrospective study analysing 235 WBC scans divided into two groups. The first group of scans (105 patients) were acquired with a fixed-time acquisition protocol and the second group (130 patients) were acquired with a decay time-corrected acquisition protocol. Planar images were interpreted both qualitatively and semiquantitatively. Three blinded readers analysed the images.

Results

The most accurate imaging acquisition protocol comprised image acquisition at 3 – 4 h and at 20 – 24 h in time mode with acquisition times corrected for isotope decay.

Conclusion

Using this protocol, visual analysis had high sensitivity and specificity in the diagnosis of infection. Semiquantitative analysis could be used in doubtful cases, with no cut-off for the percentage increase in radiolabelled WBC over time, as a criterion to define a positive scan.

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Conflicts of interest

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Regional Center of Nuclear Medicine, Department of Translational Research and Advanced Technologies in Medicine, University of Pisa Medical School, Pisa, Italy

    Paola A. Erba

  2. Department of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands

    Andor W. J. M. Glaudemans, Rudi A. J. O. Dierckx & Alberto Signore

  3. Department of Nuclear Medicine, Jeroen Bosch Hospital, ‘s-Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands

    Niels C. Veltman

  4. Nuclear Medicine Unit, Department of Oncology and Advanced Technology, Arcispedale S. Maria Nuova – IRCCS, Reggio Emilia, Italy

    Martina Sollini

  5. Nuclear Medicine Unit, Department of Medical-Surgical Sciences and of Translational Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Psychology, “Sapienza” University, Rome, Italy

    Marta Pacilio, Filippo Galli & Alberto Signore

  6. Medicina Nucleare, Ospedale S. Andrea, University of Rome “Sapienza”, Via di Grottarossa 1035, 00189, Roma, Italy

    Alberto Signore

Authors
  1. Paola A. Erba
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  2. Andor W. J. M. Glaudemans
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  3. Niels C. Veltman
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  4. Martina Sollini
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  5. Marta Pacilio
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  6. Filippo Galli
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  7. Rudi A. J. O. Dierckx
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  8. Alberto Signore
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Alberto Signore.

Additional information

Paola Erba and Andor Glaudemans contributed equally to this work.

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Erba, P.A., Glaudemans, A.W.J.M., Veltman, N.C. et al. Image acquisition and interpretation criteria for 99mTc-HMPAO-labelled white blood cell scintigraphy: results of a multicentre study. Eur J Nucl Med Mol Imaging 41, 615–623 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00259-013-2631-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00259-013-2631-4

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