Differential diagnosis of CT-hypodense cranial lesions with indium-111-oxine-labeled leukocytes

Scintigraphy using indium-111-oxine-labeled white blood cells was used as a complementary diagnostic study in the differential diagnosis of 20 intracerebral cystic lesions for which computerized tomography scanning did not exclude abscess. To lower the rate of false-positive findings with scintiscanning, three criteria of positivity were tested in the 20 lesions. The most stringent criterion yielded 100% sensitivity, 94% specificity, and 96% diagnostic accuracy. The clinical and surgical implications of these results are discussed.