Acute osteomyelitis: advantage of white cell scans in early detection

Journal Article · Wed Dec 01 04:00:00 EST 1982 · AJR, Am. J. Roentgenol.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2214/ajr.139.6.1077· OSTI ID:6328478

Raptopoulos, V; Doherty, P W; Goss, T P; King, M A; Johnson, K; Gantz, N M

Acute osteomyelitis was induced in 18 rabbits after direct injection of a solution of Staphylococcus aureus culture into a proximal tibial metaphysis. Serial plain radiographs and radionuclide studies with /sup 111/In oxide labeled while blood cells and /sup 99m/Tc methylene diphosphonate were performed over the next 4 weeks. Visual and quantitative analysis by measuring the isotope activity of /sup 111/In and /sup 99m/Tc over the infected tibias as compared with the opposite bones revealed that the white blood cell scans were positive in 15 (83%) of the 18 rabbits during the first week after injection of the microorganism. During the same period, the /sup 99m/Tc bone scans were positive in only 22% of the animals (p less than 0.005). In the animals that survived, both white blood cell and bone scans were positive during the second week, and thereafter, the bone scans revealed consistently higher activity than was observed with white blood cell scans. Computed tomography performed in six rabbits revealed an increased attenuation coefficient of the medullary cavities in the infected bones of four animals during the first week and of one more during the second week. Plain radiographs became positive after the 12th day. Results indicate that in patients with suspected acute osteomyelitis, white blood cell scans and probably computed tomography can detect the disease earlier than /sup 99m/Tc bone scans and plain radiographs.

• Research Organization: Department of Radiology, University of Massachusetts Medical Center, Worcester
• OSTI ID: 6328478
• Journal Information: AJR, Am. J. Roentgenol.; (United States), Journal Name: AJR, Am. J. Roentgenol.; (United States) Vol. 139:6; ISSN AAJRD
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE
ANIMALS
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BIOLOGICAL MATERIALS
BLOOD
BLOOD CELLS
BODY
BODY FLUIDS
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
COMPUTERIZED TOMOGRAPHY
COUNTING TECHNIQUES
DAYS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
DIAGNOSIS
DIAGNOSTIC TECHNIQUES
DIAGNOSTIC USES
DISEASES
ELECTRON CAPTURE RADIOISOTOPES
HOURS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
INDIUM 111
INDIUM ISOTOPES
INTERMEDIATE MASS NUCLEI
ISOMERIC NUCLEI
ISOMERIC TRANSITION ISOTOPES
ISOTOPES
LABELLED COMPOUNDS
LEUKOCYTES
MAMMALS
MATERIALS
MINUTES LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
NUCLEI
ODD-EVEN NUCLEI
ORGANS
OSTEOMYELITIS
RABBITS
RADIOISOTOPE SCANNING
RADIOISOTOPES
SCINTISCANNING
SKELETAL DISEASES
SKELETON
TECHNETIUM 99
TECHNETIUM ISOTOPES
TIBIA
TOMOGRAPHY
USES
VERTEBRATES
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES