title: Technetium-99m hexamethyl propylene amine oxime granulocyte scintigraphy in Crohn's disease: diagnostic and clinical relevance.
abstract: Scintigraphy with autologous granulocytes labelled by technetium-99m hexamethyl, propylene amine oxime (99mTc-HMPAO) was performed in 103 Crohn's disease patients and 52 healthy controls. In 31 patients endoscopic and histologic activity was compared with scan activity index. In the 98 patients with a positive scan, the extent of Crohn's disease, assessed by scintigraphy, was compared with that evaluated by small bowel x ray or colonoscopy with biopsies. In 48 patients, Crohn's disease activity index, activity index, simple index, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, C-reactive protein were correlated with the scan results. In 16 patients the five parameters and scan were repeated after treatment with methyl-prednisolone (10 cases), enteral nutrition (3), and 5-acetylsalicylic acid (3). The results showed that 99mTc-HMPAO granulocyte scan had a 95% sensitivity and 100% specificity to detect active inflammation; it correctly showed an abscess or a fistula in all the 24 cases found. The correlation between histological inflammatory activity and scan activity index was highly significant (r = 0.85; p < 0.01), less significant (r = 0.65; p < 0.01) between endoscopy and scan activity index. The evaluation for the extent of Crohn's disease by scan was completely correct in the small bowel (100%) and 93% correct in the large bowel. No correlation was seen between the three clinical activity parameters and scanning; in more than 80% of the cases in remission on the basis of a clinical or laboratory index, scintigraphy remained positive. Medical treatment was effective on the clinical indices but not on the active inflammation in the ileum, whereas it led to a negative scan in 5/11 cases in the large intestine. Scintigraphy with 99mTc-HMPAO granulocyte plays an important part in Crohn's disease for the diagnosis of complications, for activity and assessment of the extent, and for the treatment results evaluation.
authors.affiliation: Gastroenterology Unit, Maggiore Hospital, Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Sciarretta
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Furno
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mazzoni
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Basile
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Malaguti
mesh_terms: D000038:Abscess / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001799:Blood Sedimentation; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000378:metabolism; D003108:Colonic Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D003424:Crohn Disease / Q000097:blood / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D005260:Female; D006098:Granulocytes / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D007077:Ileal Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D007412:Intestinal Fistula / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015609:Organotechnetium Compounds; D010091:Oximes; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D019690:Technetium Tc 99m Exametazime
chemical_list: D015609:Organotechnetium Compounds; D010091:Oximes; D019690:Technetium Tc 99m Exametazime; D002097:C-Reactive Protein