What does a white blood cell scan look for?
What does a white blood cell scan look for?
What is a white blood cell scan? A white blood cell scan helps us to detect abscesses and infection in soft tissue or bone or to detect fever of unknown origin. You might have heard your doctor mention a WBC scan. This is just another name for a white blood cell scan.
What causes high white blood cells NHS?
A high white blood cell count may indicate that the immune system is working to destroy an infection. It may also be a sign of physical or emotional stress. People with particular blood cancers may also have high white blood cells counts.
How long does a white blood cell scan take?
The pharmacist will remove just your white blood cells and tag them with a radioactive isotope. This process takes approximately two hours.
How is a white blood cell scan done?
A White Blood Cell Scan is done over the course of two appointments. A technologist will draw a sample of your blood. Your white blood cells are then attached to a radioactive material called Indium (takes about 2-3 hours). After this time your blood will be re-injected into you through a vein in your arm.
What are the symptoms of having low white blood cells?
If you have a low white blood cell count, you may:
- Have repeated fevers and infections.
- Get bladder infections that may make it painful to pass urine, or make you urinate more often.
- Get lung infections that cause coughing and difficulty breathing.
- Get mouth sores.
- Get sinus infections and a stuffy nose.
What is an indium scan looking for?
An indium-111 WBC scan is used to look for a suspected infection. The scan involves the injection of radioactive white blood cells into the vein through a small needle, followed by a gamma camera scan to confirm or exclude a clinically suspected infection.
How is indium-111 produced?
Indium-111 is produced in a cyclotron using a cadmium-112 target which is bombarded with protons to produce indium-111 by the (p,2n) reaction. The half-life of indium-111 (2.8 days) is especially suited to imaging antibodies which tend to have longer biological half-lives.
Why do we need a white cell scan?
They help us to identify problems because they tend to collect in areas where tissue is infected or inflamed. If we suspect that you have an internal area of inflammation or infection, a white cell scan is the easiest way to give us more information about what and where the condition might be located.
When to go to the GP with a low white blood cell count?
Occasionally, infections can lead to a life-threatening condition called sepsis. It’s still important to get help from a GP if you need it. To contact your GP surgery:
What kind of tracer is used for white cell scan?
There are two methods of labelling the white cells: with a tracer called technetium HMPAO or with another called indium oxine. The chosen method will depend on how long you have had the infection or where it is suspected to be located.
What kind of cancer affects white blood cells?
Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia is a type of cancer that affects the white blood cells and tends to progress slowly over many years.