MEASUREMENT OF GRANULOCYTE MIGRATION AND ACCUMULATION IN INFLAMMATION IN MAN

  • 1 January 1983
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 52  (3) , 607-612
Abstract
A method was developed for studying granulocyte kinetics in inflammation. Autologous granulocytes isolated from whole blood and labeled with 111In, without separation from plasma enriched media, localized rapidly in intra-abdominal abscesses and inflammatory bowel disease following i.v. reinjection. Utilizing a .gamma. camera interfaced to a computer for dynamic imaging, uptake of activity in the site of inflammation could be demonstrated from 10 min following injection. A quantitative estimate of the rate of granulocyte uptake in inflammatory foci, (early granulocyte accumulation index, EGAI) was made by subtracting the gradient of the time activity profile, recorded over the inflammatory focus from that of the profile recorded over a similar sized control region and expressing the difference in relation to the zero time intercept of the profile over the inflammatory focus. The EGAI showed a positive correlation with the ESR [erythrocyte sedimentation rate] (.sigma. = 0.574; P < 0.05) and, in the single patient studied twice, decreased followed steroid therapy. This technique should be useful in studying granulocyte kinetics in inflammation in man.