Assessment of Disease Activity in Ulcerative Colitis Using Indium-111-Labelled Leukocyte Faecal Excretion

Abstract

A new method of assessing disease activity in ulcerative colitis has been developed utilizing 111In-labeled granulocytes. Fecal 111In excretion after i.v. administration of labeled granulocytes ranged from 1.1-45% of the injected dose in patients with ulcerative colitis, showing significant differences between mild, moderate and severely active groups. There was a significant correlation between fecal 111In excretion and a clinical index based on the Crohn''s disease activity index (r = 0.79, P < 0.01) and the erythrocyte sedimentation rate (r = 0.73, P < 0.001). Quantitative fecal 111In-labeled granulocyte excretion is an objective and specific method of assessing disease activity in ulcerative colitis.