Clinical experience with [111 In] indium chloride scanning in inflammatory diseases

Forty-eight patients were scanned with 111 In-chloride in an attempt to identify the cause of fever. Fifteen true positive scans, 30 true negatives, and 3 false negatives were found. Of the 15 true positives, 7 cases of abdominal or pelvic abscess, and 8 cases of alcoholic hepatitis were detected. The 3 false negatives included: 1) an abscess in the anterior abdominal wall; 2) an abscess in the right upper quadrant at the site of a necrotic gallbladder; and 3) a tuberculous abscesss of the lumbar spine. Examples from the different categories, pitfalls in interpretation and advantages and disadvantages of scanning with 111In-chloride will be presented. These studies indicate that 111In-chloride is a safe, reliable scanning agent for abscesses below the diaphragm especially in patients who cannot undergo adequate bowel preparation.