Abstract
Introduction: Catheter-related infection is one of the most important complications in patients with end-stage renal disease, often leading to increased mortality and prolonged hospitalization. Rapid and accurate diagnosis of these infections plays a crucial role in effective clinical management; however, the standard method of blood culture, despite its widespread use, has limitations such as being time-consuming. Technetium-99m labeled ubiquicidin peptide fragment, amino acids 29–41 (UBI-mTc 99-29-41) scintigraphy has emerged as a novel imaging technique that enables faster and more precise detection of catheter-associated infections.
Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic value of the UBI-mTc 99-29-41 scan compared with blood culture for identifying hemodialysis catheter infections.
Patients and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 54 hemodialysis patients with suspected catheter-site infection who were hospitalized at Labbafinezhad hospital in Tehran in 2025. Venous blood samples were collected from all participants for blood culture and they underwent UBI-mTc 99-29-41 scintigraphy assessment. Diagnostic performance measures, including overall accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV), were calculated using standard statistical methods and Cohen’s kappa coefficient to compare the diagnostic efficacy of UBI-mTc 99-29-41 scintigraphy with blood culture in detecting hemodialysis catheter infections.
Results: Compared with blood culture, the UBI-mTc 99-29-41 scan demonstrated an overall accuracy of 90.7%, sensitivity of 95.5%, specificity of 87.5%, PPV of 84%, NPV of 96.6%, false-positive rate of 12.5%, and false-negative rate of 4.5%. According to statistical standards, all parameters except the true positive ratio were significant, indicating the high diagnostic value of UBI-mTc 99-29-41 scintigraphy in identifying hemodialysis catheter infections.
Conclusion: UBI-mTc 99-29-41 scintigraphy demonstrated high diagnostic accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity compared to blood culture as a diagnostic standard reference in detecting hemodialysis catheter infections. These findings highlight its potential as a reliable and rapid diagnostic tool, supporting improved patient management and outcomes.