KINETICS OF TECHNETIUM-LABELED HEPARIN IN THROMBOEMBOLISM - PRELIMINARY-REPORT

We used technetium-labeled heparin as an approach to heparin pharmacokinetics which might lead to clinical applications in thromboembolism diagnosis and treatment. Kinetics studies including external detection with a gamma-camera and blood sample radioassay were performed in normal subjects. In patients diagnosed or suspected as having a leg veinous thrombosis (LVT) we performed a leg scintigraphy, but we were more interested in kinetics studies, especially blood clearance, as a possible index of thrombotic disease. In most cases, the leg scintigram showed increased activity of the pathologic limb in patients with LVT. The kinetic study in controls and patients showed a biphasic heparin clearance curve with a very fast component and a slow one. The main result is the very highly significant difference observed between controls and patients with LVT slow component half-life. This increase of clearance seems to occur early since it was shown in a patient who was diagnosed to have a LVT by previously injected 125I fibrinogen detection, before any clinical suspicion. Technetium heparin should be a means of early diagnosis of thrombotic disease since an increased clearance appears to be a constant and early feature of thromboembolism. © 1979.