A pilot study of splenic and whole body retention of autologous radiolabeled leukocytes in the assessment of severity in inflammatory colitis.

Abstract

To assess the splenic and whole body retention of radiolabeled autologous leukocytes over 24 or 48 h as measures of the severity of colitis. Eleven patients with colitis underwent standardized clinical, endoscopic, histological, and 111In-labeled leukocyte scintigraphy. A logistic discriminant analysis was used to estimate weighting factors for morphological indices, serum albumen, and stool excretion of 111In over 24 h that predicted the clinical assessment of severity. Subsequently, Spearman rank correlation analysis estimated associations among reductions in spleen and whole body radioactivity and the derived indices of inflammation. The reduction in spleen counts over 24 h correlates significantly with morphological indices (rs = 0.83, p < 0.005) and with serum albumen and stool 111In (functional index, rs = 0.77, p < 0.01). Similarly, the reduction in whole body 111In over 48 h correlates significantly with the combined index (rs = 0.8) and with the morphological and functional index separately (rs = 0.72 and 0.79, respectively). This pilot study identified weighting factors for morphological and functional indices in assessing severity of colitis; reduction in whole body and splenic retention of radioactivity was sufficient for evaluation of severity of colitis without the need for stool collections.