Two carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA)-specific monoclonal antibodies (MAbs), PR1A3 and T84.66, were tested to determine whether they could accurately localize colorectal carcinoma and therefore be applicable in radioimmunoguided surgery (RIGS). Twenty-one tumors by three human colorectal carcinoma cell lines with various levels of CEA expression (KM-12c, C75, and Clone A) were successfully implanted in the intra-abdominal organs of 15 nude mice. The tumors was localized using a portable radioisotope detector (Neoprobe 1000) 48 h after injection of radiolabeled MAbs (10 mCi/mouse) when the precordial counts were <20 per 2 s. Histopathological identification of radiolabeled MAbs were also performed using immunohistochemistry and microautoradiography. Radioactivity counted on a portable radioisotope detector correlated well with that on a gamma counter. The distribution in the blood was significantly greater than in other organs (P < 0.001). Localization indices of the tumor in various organs was from 1.1 to 8.5 in the PR1A3-pretreated mice and 3.0 to 8.6 in the T84.66-pretreated mice. Silver grains and immune staining were distributed in the tumor cells of the PR1A3-pretreated mice, whereas they were in the necrotic debris as well as the tumor cells of the T84.66-pretreated mice. There were significantly more silver grains in the liver in the T84.66-pretreated mice than in the PR1A3-pretreated mice (P = 0.004). The sensitivity and specificity of tumor localization by RIGS were 71.4 and 91.4% in the PR1A3-pretreated mice, whereas they were 60 and 76% in the T84.66-pretreated mice. A study using specific anti-CEA MAbs suggested PR1A3 as an efficient immune probe for RIGS in colorectal carcinoma with a low rate of false-positive detection.