Bone marrow scintigraphy in hemopoietic depletion states

Bone marrow scintigraphy was performed in 29 patients with hemopoietic depletion states of various etiology. Two tracers were used for visualization of the marrow: 99mTc-sulphur-colloid and 111InCl3, some patients being examined by both indicators. 111InCl3 is bound on transferrin and is adsorbed on the surface of reticulocytes and erythroblasts). The scintillation camera PHO GAMMA SEARLE IV fitted with moving table and computer CLINCOM was used, so that whole body images were obtained. The comparison of all scans and marrow puncture smears was done. In patients with aplastic anemia with both hyperplastic or hypoplastic marrow good correlation of bone marrow scans and sternal puncture smears was found. In several cases the scintigraphic examination helped to establish a diagnosis of marrow depletion state. A peculiar disadvantage of the imaging method with either 99mTc-sulphur-colloid or 111InCl3 is that it shows the disorders in erythropoietic and reticuloendothelial cells, whereas the defects in myelopoietic cell series and platelet precursors are not provable. According to literature data, great attention is paid to the prognostic value of scintigraphic examination in aplastic anemia.