Researchers in Germany are developing a novel PET/MRI approach to determine whether a kidney transplant patient has developed an infection in the transplanted tissue, according to a study published in the November issue of the Journal of Nuclear Medicine.
The group used a highly specific CXCR4-targeted PET scan with gallium-68 (Ga-68) pentixafor. CXCR4 is a small receptor protein present on white blood cells fighting infection (JNM, November 2017, Vol. 58:11, pp. 1831-1837).
The study included 13 kidney transplant recipients with complicated urinary tract infections (UTIs) who underwent PET scans with the CXCR4-ligand Ga-68 pentixafor and diffusion-weighted MRI. The combined modalities detected acute infection in the transplanted kidneys of nine patients and lower UTI/nonurological infections in the remaining four patients.
"This work establishes CXCR4-targeted PET as a novel approach for imaging of infection, and it strengthens the role of nuclear medicine for renal imaging," said Dr. Thorsten Derlin from Hannover Medical School in a statement. "It demonstrates the potential of integrating state-of-the-art imaging approaches -- i.e., diffusion-weighted MRI and novel, highly specific PET tracers -- for a comprehensive assessment of kidney disease."
The PET/MRI scan could also help with other difficult-to-diagnose infections, such as cholangitis in transplant patients and bone infections, Derlin added.
