Diagnostic value of bone marrow imaging with 111indium-transferrin and 99m technetium-colloids in myelofibrosis.

111Indium--transferrin (111In) and 99mTechnetium-colloids (99mTc) bone marrow imaging of 55 myelofibrosis (MF) cases has been compared with clinical, histological, and iron-kinetics data. The best correlations are seen between the splenic uptake of 111In with the spleen/sacrum ratio of 59Fe at the first hour (r = 0.69, P less than 0.001) and also with the splenic erythropoiesis histologically assessed in ten splenectomized patients (r = 0.75, P less than 0.01). Moreover, sacrum uptake of 111In, when compared with sacrum uptake of 59Fe (r = 0.51, P less than 0.001) and with hematopoietic cellularity of the bone marrow (r = 0.57, P less than 0.001) reflects faithfully the hematopoietic cell content of the marrow. Thus, 111In bone marrow imaging provides a noninvasive and useful tool for the diagnosis of myeloid metaplasia in MF. Ferrokinetic studies still appreciate with better insight the amount of ineffective erythropoiesis or hemolysis and remains therefore of great value when splenectomy is discussed.