Sensitivity of 111In-granulocyte scintigraphy in various local infections

Eighty-eight patients with 105 foci of bacterial infection were investigated by 111In-granulocyte scintigraphy. The overall sensitivity of this method was 74 per cent. A negative correlation between duration of signs and symptoms and the intensity of the granulocyte accumulations was found, and patients having false negative scintigraphy also had a significantly longer history of infection, clearly demonstrating the importance of performing scintigraphy in the acute phase of an infection. Scintigraphy performed after negative or equivocal computed tomography (CT) or ultrasound (US) investigations in patients with strongly suggested occult infection revealed many foci of infection, particularly in areas not covered by CT or US, showing the superiority of 111In-granulocyte scintigraphy over the two other methods when localizing symptoms are absent.