title: Scintigraphic imaging with technetium-99M-labelled ceftizoxime is a reliable technique for the diagnosis of deep sternal wound infection in rats.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate whether scintigraphy with technetium-99m-labeled ceftizoxime ((99m)Tc-CFT) can differentiate mediastinitis from aseptic inflammation associated with sternotomy.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty female Wistar rats were randomly distributed into four groups: S (control) -partial upper median sternotomy with no treatment; SW (control) - sternotomy and treatment of sternal wounds with bone wax; SB - sternotomy and infection with Staphylococcus aureus; SWB - sternotomy with bone wax treatment and bacterial infection. Scintigraphy with (99m)Tc-CFT was performed eight days after surgery and images were collected 210 and 360 min after infusion of the radiopharmaceutical.
  
  
  RESULTS
  No animals exhibited clinical signs of wound infection at the end of the experiment, although histological data verified acute inflammatory response in those experimentally infected with bacteria. Scintigraphic images revealed that tropism of (99m)Tc-CFT to infected sternums was greater than to their non-infected counterparts. Mean counts of radioactivity in bacteria-infected sternal regions (SB and SWB) were significantly higher (p = 0.0007) than those of the respective controls (S and SW).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Scintigraphy with technetium-99m-labeled ceftizoxime is a method that can potentially detect infection post sternotomy and differentiate from aseptic inflammation in animals experimentally inoculated with S. aureus.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, BR.
authors.forename: Paulo Henrique Nogueira
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: Costa
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Pharmacy, UFMG, Belo Horizonte, MG, BR.
authors.forename: Simone Odilia Fernandes
authors.initials: SO
authors.lastname: Diniz
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Pharmacy, UFMG, Belo Horizonte, MG, BR.
authors.forename: Valbert Nascimento
authors.initials: VN
authors.lastname: Cardoso
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine, UFMG, Belo Horizonte, MG, BR.
authors.forename: Bernardo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Tarabal
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Pharmacy, UFMG, Belo Horizonte, MG, BR.
authors.forename: Isabella
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Takenaka
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine, UFMG, Belo Horizonte, MG, BR.
authors.forename: Otavio
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Braga
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, UFMG, Belo Horizonte, MG, BR.
authors.forename: Paula Vieira Teixeira
authors.initials: PV
authors.lastname: Vidigal
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, UFMG, Belo Horizonte, MG, BR.
authors.forename: Claudio Leo
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Gelape
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, UFMG, Belo Horizonte, MG, BR.
authors.forename: Ivana Duval
authors.initials: ID
authors.lastname: Araujo
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015296:Ceftizoxime / Q000031:analogs & derivatives*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D008480:Mediastinitis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D015609:Organotechnetium Compounds; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D011897:Random Allocation; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus; D056346:Sternotomy / Q000009:adverse effects*; D013249:Sternum / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000382:microbiology; D013530:Surgical Wound Infection / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000382:microbiology
chemical_list: D015609:Organotechnetium Compounds; C510184:technetium 99m ceftizoxime; D015296:Ceftizoxime