the role of 99mtc-ubiquicidin (ubi) and 99mtc-igg scintigraphies in diagnosis of acute appendicitis: a preliminary result

introduction: appendicitis is one of the most common surgical emergencies. in spite of the relatively high rate of negative appendectomy, as a result of miss diagnosis, uncertainty of diagnosis still continues to challenge physicians. the objective of this prospective study was to investigate the role of 99mtc-ubiquicidin (ubi) scintigraphy in the diagnosis of acute appendicitis and to compare 99mtc-ubi scintigraphy with 99mtc-igg scintigraphy. methods: twelve patients with right lower quadrant pain and suspicious of acute appendicitis were referred to the nuclear medicine imaging center. radionuclide imaging was performed with 99mtc-ubi in 8 and 99mtc-igg in 4 patients. ultrasonography, alvarado scoring and histopathological examinations were also performed as additional diagnostic tests. results: reports from 99mtc-igg and 99mtc-ubi scintigraphies of all patients were negative. conclusion: this study may conclude that 99mtc-igg scintigraphy and 99mtc-ubi scintigraphy in the detection of appendicitis do not have adequate efficacy. however, in order to better evaluate 99mtc-igg and 99mtc-ubi scintigraphy, a comprehensive study on a large number of patients with clinical suspicious of acute appendicitis would be more helpful.