PGI doctor finds method to detect infections

The technique involves radio-diagnosis and enables reaching internal organs where it is tough to carry out a biopsy.

The Department of Nuclear Medicine at the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) has developed a new technique with which the location of deep-seated infections can be found without any surgical intervention. Dr Anish Bhattacharya, additional professor at the Department of Nuclear Medicine, has developed this technique to detect abdominal infections in more than 120 patients with pancreatitis. His work has been selected for innovative medical research awards at international conferences in Europe and the United States. The technique has been developed in collaboration with the institute’s Departments of Gastroenterology, Microbiology and Radio-Diagnosis.

The procedure requires taking a 40 ml blood sample from the patients to separate the white blood cells in a centrifuge. The cells are then kept along with radioactive glucose at a specific temperature. When they gel with the radioactive glucose, they are re- injected intravenously into a patient’s body. As a natural defence response of the body, these radioactive glucose gelled cells accumu- late at the site of active infection and appear as bright collections on PET imaging. A CT scan is also performed simultaneously on the same machine, to provide precise structural details of the affected organ.

Dr Bhattacharya said that the technique enables reaching internal organs like the heart, the base of the skull and intestines, where it is tough to carry out a biopsy. The technique also helps in the accurate detection of orthopaedic and intestinal infections. Earlier methods required using imported kits costing Rs 6,000 per patient, and required multiple imaging steps over two days.