Clinical utility of In-111 leukocyte imaging in Crohn's disease

Area of Science:

• Nuclear Medicine
• Gastroenterology
• Diagnostic Imaging

Background:

• Crohn's disease is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease requiring accurate diagnostic tools.
• Assessing disease activity and guiding management in Crohn's disease can be challenging.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the utility of Indium-111 (In-111) leukocyte imaging in diagnosing and managing patients with Crohn's disease.
• To determine the correlation between In-111 leukocyte imaging findings and disease presence.

Main Methods:

• Thirty-six patients diagnosed with Crohn's disease underwent In-111 leukocyte imaging.
• Imaging included early (4-hour) and delayed (18-24 hour) assessments for leukocyte activity.
• Correlation analysis was performed on imaging results.

Main Results:

• A significant correlation was observed between the presence of leukocyte activity on early imaging (r = 0.516, P < 0.001) and delayed imaging (r = 0.457, P < 0.003).
• In-111 leukocyte imaging results were beneficial for the immediate management of 13 patients (36.1%).
• This included four patients who refused colonoscopy and nine patients with prior intestinal resections.

Conclusions:

• In-111 leukocyte imaging demonstrates a significant correlation with Crohn's disease activity.
• This imaging modality is a valuable tool for immediate patient management, particularly in challenging cases.
• It offers an alternative for patients unable or unwilling to undergo conventional endoscopic procedures.