title: Diagnosis of prosthetic vascular graft infection by technetium-99m-HMPAO-labeled leukocytes.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to determine the usefulness of 99mTc-HMPAO-labeled leukocyte scans in the diagnosis of prosthetic vascular graft infection.
  
  
  METHODS
  We performed 75 scans in 61 patients with vascular grafts. Thirty-six patients were evaluated for suspected infection and 25 were control patients. Scintigraphic images were performed at 5 min, 30 min, 3 hr and, occasionally, 24 hr. Persistent increased uptake at 3 hr along the suspected area of the graft was considered evidence of graft infection.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All 20 infected grafts were detected with 99mTc-HMPAO leukocyte scan. The sensitivity and specificity of the scan in the detection of infected graft were 100%. We also detected two pelvic abscesses, two infected fistulae, two soft-tissue infections, three cases of ischemic colitis, one acute diverticulitis, one infected hematoma, one septic arthritis and one noninfected hematoma. One patient with a superficial groin infection had a negative scan. The eight pseudoaneurysms did not show scintigraphic evidence of graft infection. Correlative CT studies were performed in 12 cases.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Technetium-99m-HMPAO-labeled leukocyte scan is an accurate and valuable diagnostic method for evaluation of suspected prosthetic vascular graft infection.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Medicine, University Hospital, Zaragoza, Spain.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Prats
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Banzo
authors.forename: M D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Abós
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Garcia-Lopez
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Escalera
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Garcia-Miralles
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gaston
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Asenjo
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D017541:Aneurysm, False / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D001012:Aorta, Abdominal / Q000601:surgery; D001807:Blood Vessel Prosthesis / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D005263:Femoral Artery / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D007962:Leukocytes; D008297:Male; D015609:Organotechnetium Compounds; D010091:Oximes; D016459:Prosthesis-Related Infections / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000382:microbiology; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D019690:Technetium Tc 99m Exametazime; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D015609:Organotechnetium Compounds; D010091:Oximes; D019690:Technetium Tc 99m Exametazime