Effect of purification on the accumulation of radioactive gallium labeled leukocytes in abscesses

In rabbits, autologous peripheral blood leukocytes labeled in vitro with 67Ga citrate have been purified in vitro by the processes of dialysis and cell washing to determine the effect of purification on the accumulation of the labeled cells in abscesses of the abdominal wall. Dialysis was found to be ineffective, but cell washing produced a population of labeled leukocytes that was essentially free of noncell bound radioactivity. The purification process minimally altered the recirculating capacity of the leukocytes but significantly enhanced the relative accumulation of radioactivity in the septic area. Thus, the use of an essentially pure population of labeled leukocytes should offer a significant potential in the definitive scintiscan demonstration of hidden abscesses.