Preliminary studies comparing ⁶⁷Ga uptake with ^99mTc uptake and clinical score in rheumatoid arthritis (Abstract)

Abstract

Radiosotope investigations are being used increasingly in clinical rheumatology for initial diagnosis and as a means of achieving objective indices of changes in disease activity. Uptake appears to occur non-specifically both in terms of the radio-isotope selected and of the underlying cause of inflammatory disease. While the use of ^99mTc has received some attention, the potential value of the preferential uptake of ⁶⁷Ga in inflammatory tissue has not been exploited in the study of inflamed joints. ⁶⁷Ga images of shoulders, elbows, hands and knees obtained 24h, 48h and 72h after injection show marked accumulation of the isotope over the involved joints. Gallium has a different biochemical behaviour from technetium and may provide a means of detecting and studying a separate, although overlapping, aspect of the total inflammatory response.