Tc-99m-Antitumor Necrosis Factor-Alpha Scintigraphy For The Detection Of Inflammatory Activity In Rheumatoid Arthritis

ObjectiveTumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) is an important inflammatory cytokine. Tc-99m-anti-TNF-alpha antibody scintigraphy has proven to be a viable alternative to MRI in specific cases. The objective of this study was to evaluate the performance of scintigraphy with Tc-99m-anti-TNF-alpha in the identification of inflammatory foci in individuals diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis using MRI as the gold standard.MethodsThis cross-sectional, descriptive and analytical-qualitative clinical study compared the performance of Tc-99m-anti-TNF-alpha scintigraphy with that of MRI with intravenous administration of gadolinium (used as the gold standard) and a clinical examination (Disease Activity Score 28) in 220 joints of 20 patients with a diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis and one healthy control.ResultsThe concordance of scintigraphy with MRI in individuals with a diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis was 79%. The accuracy, sensitivity and specificity of scintigraphy for distinguishing between inflammatory and noninflammatory sites were 92, 89, and 93%, respectively. No adverse reactions to the examinations were reported.ConclusionsScintigraphy with Tc-99m-anti-TNF-alpha was well-tolerated and had a good ability to distinguish between inflammatory and noninflammatory lesions in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.