Labelled monoclonal antibodies used for the detection of inflammatory processes and bone marrow metastases

This review gives a short history of the developments of immunoscintigraphy using radiolabelled monoclonal antibodies and will look at some clinical indications studied in close cooperation with international groups. Examples are presented of infected orthopaedic prostheses and the diagnosis of osteomyelitis in diabetic foot in which the method is considered diagnostically helpful. Furthermore, the accuracy of the bone marrow immunoscintigraphy is discussed in evaluating results of a multi-centre study, clearly demonstrating its diagnostic superiority over bone scanning in metastatic cancer. It is concluded that the future diagnostic trend is going towards more specific agents (antibodies, peptides) and a speedier availability of the diagnostic results in cases of supposed infection. (author)