IS SOMATOSTATIN RECEPTOR SCINTIGRAPHY SUITED TO DETECTION OF ACUTE INFECTIOUS-DISEASE

Fast and accurate delineation of acute infectious foci is very importa nt for adequate management of patients. All currently available scinti graphic techniques require a relatively long timespan between referral to the nuclear medicine department and final diagnosis. Small peptide s that bind to receptors on cells in the infectious focus might improv e the diagnostic possibilities. Since activated leukocytes express som atostatin receptors, In-111-octreotide, a somastostatin analogue, was tested for its usefulness in detecting acute infection in rats with a calf muscle infection caused by Staphylococcus aureus. In-111-octreoti de was compared with the much larger protein In-111-labelled human non specific immunoglobulin G (In-111-IgG). As early as 0.5 h after inject ion, the In-111-octreotide uptake in the abscess was significantly low er than that of In-111-IgG. Moreover, no In-111-octreotide retention i n the abscess over time was noted. In conclusion, somatostatin recepto r imaging does not allow scintigraphic detection of an acute infectiou s lesion. The uptake in an abscess is relatively poor compared to In-1 11-IgG.