TABLE 1.

Common Nuclear Imaging Techniques (15,75–77)

Radiotracer	Target	Main infectious indications	Half-life	Administered activity (MBq)	Advantages	Disadvantages
Bone scan (99mTc-MDP)	Active bone formation	PBI*	6 h	500–1,110	Sensitive	Low specificity
		SOM			Low cost	Susceptible to confounders (surgery, trauma)
		Late PJI			Accessible
		Septic arthritis			Good spatial resolution
		Necrotizing external otitis			Low radiation dose
WBC scan (99mTc-WBC)	Leukocytes	PBI† (violated bone)	6 h	185–370	Sensitive, especially for neutrophilic induced inflammation	Depends on host immune system; sensitivity decreases after antibiotic treatment
		Diabetic foot				Blood exposure
		Early PJI				Requires sterility
		Infective endocarditis				Time consuming
		Vascular graft infection				Poor resolution
		FUO				High radiation dose
67Ga-citrate	Transferrin	SOM	78.3 h	150–220	Suitable for immunodeficiency	Delayed imaging
	Bacterial siderophores	Opportunistic infections				Poor resolution
	Neutrophilic lactoferrin	FUO				High radiation dose
		Necrotizing external otitis				Expensive
						Requires cyclotron
18F-FDG PET	Energy consumption	PBI*	110 min	185–740	Sensitive	Depends on host immune system
		SOM			Suitable for acute and chronic inflammation	Expensive
		Infective endocarditis			High resolution	Lacks widespread availability
		Vascular graft infection			Relatively short scan	Susceptible to confounders (e.g., surgery)
		FUO			SUV quantification	Requires patient preparation
						High radiation dose

^* Nonviolated bone.

^†Violated bone.

MDP = methylene diphosphonate; PBI = peripheral bone infection; SOM = spinal osteomyelitis; PJI = prosthetic joint infection.