Usefulness of technetium-99m hexamethylpropylene amine oxime-labeled leukocyte scintigraphy to detect pancreatic necrosis in patients with acute pancreatitis. Prospective comparison with Ranson, Glasgow and APACHE-II scores and serum C-reactive protein.
BACKGROUND
In acute pancreatitis (AP), pancreatic necrosis (PN) is an important local complication that can be identified by means of contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CECT). Pancreatic leukocyte infiltration is a significant pathogenic event in the development of PN that can be detected by labeled leukocyte scintigraphy (LLS). The aim of this study was to evaluate the utility of LLS with technetium-99m hexamethylpropylene amine oxime ((99m)Tc-HMPAO) to detect the presence of PN in patients with AP.


METHODS
Prospective cohort study of 84 patients with AP. Patients underwent LLS and the activity of images was scored on a 0-3 scale. CETC was performed to assess PN. Ranson, Glasgow and APACHE-II scores were calculated. Serum C-reactive protein (CRP) was measured. Sensitivity (Sn), specificity (Sp), positive predictive values (PPV), negative predictive values (NPV), areas under receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, likelihood ratios, odds ratios, analysis of variances between groups and correlation coefficients between tests were calculated.


RESULTS
PN was present in 11 (13%) patients. Pancreatic labeled leukocyte uptake was present in 38 patients (45%). Sn, Sp, PPV and NPV of LLS grade 2-3 for PN diagnosis were the highest (91, 88, 53 and 98%, respectively) of all tests. Patients with LLS grade 2-3 were 71 times more likely to be at risk of PN compared to those with LLS grade 0-1. The area under ROC curve of the LLS was the largest. A significant correlation was obtained between LLS and CRP (p < 0.001).


CONCLUSIONS
In patients with AP, LLS with (99m)Tc-HMPAO detects PN with an acceptable level of confidence and therefore could be considered an alternative technique to CECT in detecting PN.
López
Antonio
A
Department of Gastroenterology, Dr. Peset University Hospital, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain. lopez_antser@gva.es
de la Cueva
Leticia
L
Martínez
María Jesús
MJ
Gómez
Fernando
F
Ripollés
Tomás
T
Sopena
Ramón
R
Moreno-Osset
Eduardo
E
D018806:APACHE; D000208:Acute Disease; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000032:analysis*; D005260:Female; D015600:Glasgow Coma Scale; D006801:Humans; D007962:Leukocytes; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009336:Necrosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D010195:Pancreatitis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology*; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012372:ROC Curve; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging / Q000379:methods; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D019690:Technetium Tc 99m Exametazime; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
D019690:Technetium Tc 99m Exametazime; D002097:C-Reactive Protein