Nuclear medicine detection of inflammation and infection.

The diagnosis and localization of inflammation and infection by nuclear medicine techniques continue to improve. The past year has seen a number of innovations and improvements in both commonly used radiopharmaceuticals and those still in the research phase. A good, in-depth knowledge of the many pathophysiologic changes that can occur at various sites and with different etiologies remains important in understanding and choosing which tests are most likely to provide useful clinical information. A number of important publications over the past year are reviewed.