Quantitative Tc-99m-Mdp Joint Scintigraphy In A Lentivirus-Induced Arthritis Of Goats

Papageorges M, Gavin PR, Barbee DD, et al.

Veterinary Radiology & Ultrasound 1991;32:82-86.

Caprine arthritis-encephalitis (CAE) is a lentivirus-induced disease of goats used as a model for the study of lentiviral infections. Tc-99m-MDP scintigraphy was investigated as a method to quantitate the severity of joint inflammation in CAE virus-induced arthritis in six goats (12 carpi). Carpal/metacarpal Tc-99m-MDP uptake ratio was compared to a clinical indicator of joint inflammation and histopathologic grading. Quantitative joint scintigraphy provided a better correlation (r = 0.75, p < 0.001) with histopathologic grading than the clinical indicator (r = 0.18, p > 0.10). Quantitative Tc-99m-MDP joint scintigraphy should be used when non-invasive quantitation of joint inflammation is needed for pathogenetic studies of CAE.