99mTc-HMPAO labelled leukocyte scintigraphy in patients with rheumatoid arthritis:: a comparison with disease activity

The aim of this study was to test the: applicability of Tc-99m-hexamethylpropylene amine oxime (Tc-99m-HMPAO) labelled leukocyte joint scintigraphy in the assessment of disease activity in 21 patients with rheumatoid arthritis, and to compare leukocyte scintigraphy with the Disease Activity Score (DAS), a validated activity index developed by the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR). Twenty-one patients with rheumatoid arthritis were investigated by using Tc-99m-HMPAO labelled leukocyte joint scintigraphy. The clinical and laboratory data were recorded, and the DAS seas calculated and compared with the scintigraphic results in each case. A relatively high DAS score (4.71+/-1.07) was found in the majority of patients. The degree of accumulation of Tc-99m-HMPAO leukocytes showed no correlation with a patient's age, gender, duration of disease, use of disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs), visual analogue scale (VAS), Richie index, DAS, or any laboratory parameters. In contrast, a significant correlation was found between the global regional accumulation of the labelled leukocytes of the hands and feet, and the swollen-joint count. It is concluded that radiolabelled leukocyte scintigraphy could become one of the promising methods in the assessment of disease activity in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. ((C) 2002 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins).