BONE-MARROW IMAGING OF BONE-MARROW TRANSPLANTED MULTIPLE-MYELOMA PATIENTS

Eighteen bone marrow transplanted multiple myeloma patients had imagin g studies on 24 occasions with radiography as well as bone and bone ma rrow scintigraphy within 2 months. Twelve of the radionuclide bone mar row studies were performed with Tc-99m human serum albumin colloid and 12 were performed with a Tc-99m tagged monoclonal antigranulocyte ant ibody. The total detection rate of bone marrow lesions increased by 5% when the findings on bone marrow scintigraphy were combined with the findings and at radiography bone scintigraphy. For lesions in the spin e and sacrum, the increase was 25% and 33% respectively, including pat ients with focal radiotherapy. Peripheral red bone marrow expansion wa s noted in 17 patients. In a comparison of Mab and Tc-99m HSA colloid imaging. Mab resulted in a higher bone marrow to soft tissue uptake an d to a much smaller part of the skeleton being obscured by liver and s pleen uptake. It is concluded that bone marrow imaging is valuable for showing red bone marrow distribution. It thereby shows possible sites for malignant lesions; it also shows that Mab imaging is superior to Tc-99m HSA colloid imaging in bone marrow transplanted multiple myelom a patients.