Immunoscintigraphy with indium-111 labeled monoclonal antibodies: the importance of a good display method.

A major drawback of In-111-labeled monoclonal antibodies (MoAb) is the presence of intense liver, renal, and bone marrow nonspecific activity. This makes the display of the images hardly optimal and their visual interpretation difficult. In this study, the "intrinsic color scale" (which consists of selecting the limits of the color scale as the highest and the lowest pixel value of the image) was compared to a new, simple algorithm for the determination of the limits of the color scale. This algorithm was based on the count density in the iliac crest areas. OC-125 or anti-CEA In-111 MoAb F(ab')2 fragments were used in 32 patients with suspected recurrence of ovarian (19 patients) or colorectal cancer (13 patients). Final diagnosis was assessed by surgery (21 patients), biopsy (five patients), or followup (six patients). A 10-minute abdomino-pelvic anterior view was recorded two days after injection. These views are displayed using the two methods and interpreted by two observers. Using their responses in each quadrant of the pelvis, the authors calculated two ROC curves. The comparison of the ROC curves showed better performances for the new method. For example, for the same specificity (73%), the sensitivity of the new method was significantly better (78% versus 68%). This result confirmed the importance of a good methodology for displaying immunoscintigraphic images.