Which radiopharmaceutical is used to label white blood cells with 99mTc?

The use of 99mTc exametazime for labeling white blood cells is a well-established practice in nuclear medicine, primarily in the field of infection and inflammation imaging. 99mTc exametazime (also known as HMPAO) is a lipophilic complex that can easily penetrate cell membranes. Upon entering the white blood cells, it is quickly trapped within the cells, allowing for the imaging of these cells using gamma cameras.

This radiopharmaceutical is particularly useful because it maintains the integrity of the labeled cells, allowing accurate assessments of their distribution and migration in the body, which is vital when diagnosing infections, abscesses, and inflammatory processes. The effective labeling and imaging of white blood cells with 99mTc exametazime enable clinicians to identify sites of infection or inflammation based on the accumulation of these cells.

Other options, while labeled with 99mTc and used in various nuclear medicine applications, are not suitable for labeling white blood cells. For instance, 99mTc albumin is primarily used for assessing blood pool and vascular imaging, 99mTc pertechnetate is utilized for thyroid imaging as well as gastric studies, and 99mTc sulfur colloid is generally employed for liver and sple