Granulocytes and Three-Phase Bone Scintigraphy for Differentiation of Diabetic Gangrene with and Without Osteomyelitis

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Abstract
OBJECTIVE In diabetic gangrene, concomitant osteopathy and soft-tissue infection often render laboratory and roentgenographic signs unreliable as indicators of osteomyelitis. In this situation, scintigraphic methods can be helpful. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Relying on the long-term clinical course as the final indicator of presence or absence of osteomyelitis, we prospectively compared in 31 patients three-phase bone scintigraphy with either indium-labeled autologous granulocytes (n = 20) or 123 I-labeled antibodies against granulocytes (n = 11). RESULTS Three-phase bone scintigraphy and imaging with indium-labeled autologous granulocytes yielded sensitivities and specificities of 95 and 70% for bone scintigraphy and 77 and 100% for granulocyte scintigraphy, respectively. One patient with severe angiopathy and proved osteomyelitis had a negative bone scintigraphy but a positive scintigraphy with labeled antibodies against granulocytes. One patient with aseptic bone necrosis presented with a formally false positive result with both methods. CONCLUSIONS In contrast to former retrospective studies, three-phase bone scintigraphy compares very well with granulocyte scintigraphy. The care of most patients can be managed with clinical data and this widely available scintigraphic method.

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