Role of [99Mtc]Tc-Hmpao-Labelled White Blood Cell Spect/Ct in Suspected Infections: A Pictorial Review Publisher



Mirzakhani S ; Farbod A ; Farzanehfar S ; Abbasi M ; Taatzade R ; Tabatabaeian N ; Ranjbar N ; Parnoon M ; Eppard E ; Vahidfar N
Source: Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry Published:2025

Abstract

Early and accurate diagnosis of infectious processes can significantly enhance the effectiveness of therapeutic interventions. [99mTc]Tc-HMPAO-labeled white blood cell (WBC) SPECT/CT is a well-established imaging tool for this purpose. This pictorial review illustrates the clinical utility of [99mTc]Tc-HMPAO-WBC SPECT/CT in patients with suspected infections through case-based examples. Ten patients (5 women, 5 men; median age 57 years, range 32–84) with suspected infection based on clinical symptoms and/or elevated inflammatory markers underwent [99mTc]Tc-HMPAO-WBC SPECT/CT between January 2023 and December 2024 at IKHC nuclear medicine center, Tehran, Iran. Of the 10 patients undergoing [99mTc]Tc-HMPAO-WBC SPECT/CT, 4 showed radiotracer uptake indicating infection that was confirmed by clinical and/or microbiological evidence. The remaining 6 patients including 2 cases with suspected osteomyelitis (OM) and 4 cases with non-OM conditions (avascular necrosis, fever of unknown origin and fungal ear infection) revealed no radiotracer uptake and lacked sufficient clinical or laboratory evidence in support of infection. © Akademiai Kiado Zrt 2025.