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Evaluation of musculoskeletal sepsis with indium-111 white blood cell imaging
Abstract:
The detection of musculoskeletal sepsis, especially following joint replacement, continues to be a challenging problem. Often, even with invasive diagnostic evaluation, the diagnosis of infection remains uncertain. This is a report on the first 55 Indium-111 white blood cell (WBC) images performed in 39 patients for the evaluation of musculoskeletal sepsis. There were 40 negative and 15 positive Indium-111 WBC images. These were correlated with operative culture and tissue pathology, aspiration culture, and clinical findings. Thirty-eight images were performed for the evaluation of possible total joint sepsis (8 positive and 30 negative images); 17 for the evaluation of nonarthroplasty-related musculoskeletal sepsis (7 positive and 10 negative images). Overall, there were 13 true-positive, 39 true-negative, two false-positive, and one false-negative images. Indium-111 WBC imaging is a sensitive and specific means of evaluating musculoskeletal sepsis, especially following total joint replacement.
Insights
Diagnosing musculoskeletal sepsis, particularly after joint replacement, is difficult. Indium-111 white blood cell (WBC) imaging proves to be a sensitive and specific diagnostic tool for evaluating these challenging infections.
Area of Science:
- Nuclear Medicine
- Infectious Disease
- Orthopedic Surgery
Background:
- Musculoskeletal sepsis, especially post-joint replacement, presents diagnostic challenges.
- Invasive methods often yield uncertain infection diagnoses.
- Accurate and timely diagnosis is crucial for effective treatment and patient outcomes.