What is a tagged WBC scan?
A Nuclear Medicine WBC Scan is performed using a special radioactive material which is tagged to your white blood cells that, when injected into the body, is attached to sites of inflammation. Once distributed in these areas, the inflammation (infection) can be seen.
How long does tagged WBC scan take?
The pharmacist will remove just your white blood cells and tag them with a radioactive isotope. This process takes approximately two hours.
What are white blood cells that scan the body for abnormalities or infection?
The indium 111- tagged white blood cell (WBC) scan is used to help identify regions of inflammation and thus infections when other imaging studies are equivocal or contraindicated.
Are bone scans safe?
A bone scan carries no greater risk than conventional X-rays. The tracers in the radioactive substance used in a bone scan produce very little radiation exposure. The risk of having an allergic reaction to the tracers is low. However, the test may be unsafe for pregnant or breastfeeding women.
How does WBC scan work?
A White Blood Cell Scan is done over the course of two appointments. A technologist will draw a sample of your blood. Your white blood cells are then attached to a radioactive material called Indium (takes about 2-3 hours). After this time your blood will be re-injected into you through a vein in your arm.
What is a tagged scan?
The first method involves removing blood from a vein. The red blood cells are separated from the rest of the blood sample. The cells are then mixed with the radioactive material. The cells with the radioactive material are considered “tagged.” A short time later the tagged RBCs are injected into one of your veins.
How much does an indium scan cost?
The cost of a routine work-up (CBC, ESR, CRP, and x-rays) is $60. Bone and indium scanning costs $580, representing a 10-fold increase in cost. Although indium scanning does not accurately predict the presence of prosthetic infection, a negative scan reliably indicates the absence of infection.
What does an indium scan show?
A radioactive scan detects abscesses or infections in the body by using a radioactive material. An abscess occurs when pus collects due to an infection.
What does a hot spot on a bone scan mean?
The areas where the radionuclide collects are called “hot spots,” and may indicate the presence of conditions such as arthritis , malignant (cancerous) bone tumors , metastatic bone cancer (cancer which has spread from another site, such as the lungs), bone infections , bone trauma not seen on ordinary X-rays, and …
Can blood be scanned?
An RBC nuclear scan uses small amounts of radioactive material to mark (tag) red blood cells (RBCs). Your body is then scanned to see the cells and track how they move through the body.
How is a tagged WBC scan and white blood cell scan done?
Localization of abscesses and infection There are no restrictions for a tagged WBC scan / white blood cell scan. During the first part of the tagged WBC scan procedure, approximately 60 ml of blood is drawn and is sent to an radiopharmacy where the patient’s white blood cells separated and then tagged to a radioisotope.
What is the sensitivity of the indium WBC scan?
The overall accuracy in diagnosing the infections above using indium 111-tagged WBC scan has widely ranged in the literature from sensitivity 60 to 100% and specificity 69 to 92%. [1]
Are there any drawbacks to a WBC scan?
It is considered the gold standard modality in many infectious scenarios, yet it has several drawbacks ( 23 ). The WBC scan can be a laborious and time-consuming procedure that exposes medical personal to blood products.
Can a 111 WBC scan be a false positive?
When concerned with infectious etiologies of the gastrointestinal tract, it is important to note that the labeled 111-indium WBC scan does not accumulate in normal bowel. [3] This contrasts to the 99mTc labeled scan, thus potentially producing a false positive result during the interpretation of the indium 111- tagged leukocyte nuclear scan. [6]