Radiotracers for Bone Marrow Infection Imaging

Area of Science:

• Nuclear Medicine
• Radiochemistry
• Infectious Diseases

Background:

• Medical imaging relies on radiotracers for techniques like scintigraphy, SPECT, and PET.
• Diagnosing bone marrow infections (osteomyelitis) lacks a single, highly accurate routine test.
• Radiotracers offer potential for improved diagnostic accuracy in osteomyelitis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review radiotracers used for imaging bone marrow infections.
• To explain the physiological uptake mechanisms of these radiotracers.
• To discuss established and developing radiotracers for osteomyelitis detection.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of radiotracers for bone marrow infection imaging.
• Focus on physiological uptake mechanisms relevant to infection detection.
• Categorization of tracers into established and under-development groups.

Main Results:

• Established radiotracers include [⁶⁷Ga]Ga-citrate, radiolabeled leukocytes, nanocolloids, phosphonates, and [¹⁸F]FDG.
• Developing tracers encompass [⁶⁸Ga]Ga-citrate, [¹⁸F]FDS, [¹⁵O]water, [¹¹C]methionine, [¹¹C]donepezil, [^99mTc]Tc-IL-8, [⁶⁸Ga]Ga-Siglec-9, phage peptides, and antimicrobial peptides.

Conclusions:

• No single radiotracer is ideal for all bone marrow infection imaging.
• Each radiotracer provides unique physiological or biochemical information.
• Understanding uptake mechanisms, pitfalls, and challenges is crucial for radiotracer development and application.