Leukocyte scintigraphy and fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography may provide the most accurate imaging assessment of periprosthetic hip infection, according to a study in the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery.
The researchers conducted a literature review of clinical studies in which periprosthetic hip infection was investigated with different imaging modalities. They identified 31 eligible studies, representing 1,753 hip prostheses, which they used to determine the sensitivity and specificity of each imaging technique.
Here are their findings:
1. For leukocyte scintigraphy, sensitivity was 88 percent and specificity was 92 percent.
2. For fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography, sensitivity was 86 percent and specificity was 93 percent.
3. For combined leukocyte and bone marrow scintigraphy, sensitivity was 69 percent and specificity was 96 percent.
4. For antigranulocyte scintigraphy, sensitivity was 84 percent and specificity was 75 percent.
5. For bone scintigraphy, sensitivity was 80 percent and specificity was 69 percent.
There was insufficient clinical data to perform analyses on radiography, ultrasonography, computed tomography and MRI.