title: A reproducibility study of technetium-99m macroaggregated albumin foot perfusion imaging in patients with diabetes mellitus.
abstract: The reproducibility of Technetium-99m macroaggregated albumin (99mTc-MAA) foot perfusion imaging was assessed in 14 diabetic patients with foot ulcers. Bilateral femoral intra-arterial injections of 99mTc-MAA were administered and the feet imaged with a gamma camera. Patients returned 1 week later for a repeat study. The scans of 10 patients including one unilateral amputee were evaluated. Of these 19 limbs there were 4 failed injections (21%). The remaining 15 completed repeat studies were analysed both subjectively and semiquantitatively by 2 different observers who were blind to the patient's name and scan date. Subjectively the images of each individual were similar with reports highlighting the same abnormalities. Semiquantitatively areas of increased uptake on both images were significantly correlated for each individual (Pearson's Rho correlation coefficient = 0.96, r2 = 0.92, p < 0.0001) as were areas of poor uptake reported, reflecting decreased tissue perfusion (Pearson's Rho = 0.93, r2 = 0.86, p < 0.0001). There were no side-effects. 99mTc-MAA has proven to be a safe, generally acceptable, and reproducible technique for assessing tissue perfusion in the extremities which provides an accurate means of differentiating viable from non-viable tissue in patients with foot ulcers.
authors.affiliation: Diabetes Unit, Queen's Medical Centre, University Hospital Nottingham, UK.
authors.forename: N D
authors.initials: ND
authors.lastname: Sturrock
authors.forename: A C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Perkins
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Wastie
authors.forename: K R
authors.initials: KR
authors.lastname: Blackband
authors.forename: K T
authors.initials: KT
authors.lastname: Moriarty
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D017719:Diabetic Foot / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D015902:Gamma Cameras; D006801:Humans; D007269:Injections, Intra-Arterial; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010477:Perfusion; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D013668:Technetium Tc 99m Aggregated Albumin
chemical_list: D013668:Technetium Tc 99m Aggregated Albumin