Detection of abscesses by radioactive isotopes and external scanning

The degree of success in the detection of localized infections increases with the accessibility of these infections to direct physical examination. Accordingly, soft tissue abscesses located in the extremities are usually managed with expediency. In contrast, deep seated purulent collections situated in areas anatomically remote and associated with misleading symptomatology or with poor patient feedback may suffer a delay in diagnosis, increasing morbidity and mortality rates. The usual protocol used for the diagnosis of such abscesses includes an adequte history and physical examination, plus leukocyte counts, roentgenographic contrast studies, sonographic studies and a great deal of attention to clinical detail. However, in some patients, particularly those with subphrenic collections, these methods may fail. In these patients, the mortality rate reaches unacceptably high figures. This study was undertaken to evaluate the progress achieved during the last few years on the detection of purulent collections with the help of radioisotopes. These advances have been made possible by the work of several investigators, some who studied the feasibility of tagging separate abscess components and others who applied those results clinically