Chronic bacterial seminal vesiculitis as a potential disease entity in men with chronic prostatitis.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate bacterial infection in the seminal vesicles by bacteriological examination and radionuclide imaging in men with chronic prostatitis. METHODS: The study included 50 patients with chronic prostatitis who showed hot uptake in seminal vesicles on Tc-99m ciprofloxacin imaging and eight patients who did not show hot uptake. The evaluation included the National Institutes of Health Chronic Prostatitis Symptom Index and four-glass test. In all participants, transperineal aspiration of seminal vesicle fluid under the guidance of transrectal ultrasonography and bacteriological examination was carried out. RESULTS: Of the 50 patients who showed hot uptake in the seminal vesicles on the isotope study, microorganisms were isolated from the seminal vesicle fluid in 17 patients (positive predictive value, 34%). The most common causative organisms were Escherichia coli in 13 patients (26%), followed by coagulase-negative Staphylococcus species in two patients (4%), Enterococcus faecalis in one patient (2%) and Chlamydia trachomatis in one patient (2%). No microorganisms were isolated in the eight patients who did not show hot uptake in the seminal vesicles (negative predictive value, 100%). However, there were no significant differences in National Institutes of Health Chronic Prostatitis Symptom Index total scores and subscores between the study groups. CONCLUSIONS: Chronic bacterial seminal vesiculitis might simultaneously affect a considerable portion of patients with chronic prostatitis, although the clinical implication of the disease remains to be further investigated.

Tc-99m Ciprofloxacin SPECT of Pulmonary Tuberculosis.

PURPOSE: Tc-99m ciprofloxacin is available for imaging infection. However, there has been no study on employing single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) with using Tc-99m ciprofloxacin to image active pulmonary tuberculosis. Therefore, we conducted this study to assess the efficacy of Tc-99m ciprofloxacin SPECT for imaging active pulmonary tuberculosis. METHODS: Twenty-one participants were enrolled in this prospective study. They were divided into two groups according to the clinical and radiological assessment. Group one (Gr. 1) consisted of five normal volunteers and six patients with inactive pulmonary tuberculosis. Group two (Gr. 2) consisted of ten patients with active pulmonary tuberculosis. SPECT was performed 3 h after injecting 555 MBq (15 mCi) of Tc-99m ciprofloxacin. The findings of Tc-99m ciprofloxacin SPECT were interpreted by a nuclear medicine specialist and then the results were analyzed according to the patients' clinical and radiological classifications. RESULTS: The results of Tc-99m ciprofloxacin SPECT were as follows: eight true-positive cases, ten true-negative cases, one false-positive case and two false-negative cases. The sensitivity and specificity was 80.0% and 90.9%, respectively. The positive predictive value was 88.9% and the negative predictive value was 83.3%. CONCLUSIONS: Tc-99m ciprofloxacin SPECT is feasible for imaging active pulmonary tuberculosis. It is a useful nuclear-imaging method for discriminating between the active and inactive tuberculosis states in patients with a past medical history of pulmonary tuberculosis.

Clinical Evaluation of Tc-99m Ciprofloxacin for the Diagnosis of Infectious Disease / 감염

BACKGROUND: For the evaluation of infectious or inflammatory disease, Tc-99m HMPAO WBC scan has been used. But techniques involving radiolabelled leukocytes scan were difficult, and have failed to distinguish between bacterial infection and non-bacterial inflammation. To overcome this difficulty, we evaluated Tc-99m Ciprofloxacin in clinically suspected bacterial infection. METHODS: We used this agent for 31 patients who had suspected sites of infection. And then we compared the imaging results of these patients with those of radiolabelled leukocyte scan. RESULTS: There was no adverse effect. 29 patients was involved for the interpretation. Infective spondylitis was the most common suspected disease (41%). Bateriologic culture was positive in 10 patients. The most common organism was meticillin-susceptible S. aureus (5 cases). The sensitivity and specificity of Tc- 99m Ciprofloxacin was 83.3% and 66.6%, and those of Tc-99m HMPAO WBC was 62.5% and 83.3%, repectively. For the diagnosis of infective spondylitis the sensitivity of Tc-99m Ciprofloxacin was 80.0% and that of Tc-99m HMPAO WBC was 40.0%. CONCLUSOIN: Tc-99m Ciprofloxacin shows relatively high sensitivity and specificity. Tc-99m Ciprofloxacin was superior to Tc-99m HMPAO WBC for the diagnosis of infection in axial skeleton.