Imaging infection/inflammation in the new millennium.
In the closing half of the past century a wide variety of approaches were developed to visualise infection and inflammation by gamma scintigraphy. Use of autologous leucocytes, labelled with indium-111 or technetium-99m, is still considered the "gold standard" nuclear medicine technique for the imaging of infection and inflammation. However, the range of radiopharmaceuticals used to investigate infectious and non-microbial inflammatory disorders is expanding rapidly. Developments in protein/peptide chemistry and in radiochemistry should lead to agents with very high specific activities. Recently, positron emission tomography with fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose has been shown to delineate infectious and inflammatory foci with high sensitivity. The third millennium will witness a gradual shift from basic (non-specific) or cumbersome, even hazardous techniques (radiolabelled leucocytes) to more sophisticated approaches. Here a survey is presented of the different approaches in use or under investigation.
Rennen
H J
HJ
Department of Nuclear Medicine, University of Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands. H.Rennen@nugen.azn.nl
Boerman
O C
OC
Oyen
W J
WJ
Corstens
F H
FH
D000818:Animals; D006801:Humans; D007239:Infections / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D007249:Inflammation / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D007962:Leukocytes / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals
D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals