Bone scintigraphy in acute renal failure with severe loin pain and patchy renal vasoconstriction

Nephron. 1991;59(2):254-60. doi: 10.1159/000186561.

Abstract

To evaluate the patterns of renal images and the diagnostic value as a screening test of the whole-body bone and renal scintigraphy with technetium-99m-methylene diphosphonate (99mTc-MDP) or -pyrophosphate (99mTc-PYP), we performed bone scintigraphy in 6 patients with acute renal failure (ARF) with severe loin pain and patchy renal vasoconstriction on postcontrast renal computed tomography (CT). All 6 patients were young and previously healthy but experienced severe loin pain after track events. Five took analgesics. Postcontrast renal CT showed patchy low-density areas or diffuse enhancement immediately after radiocontrast injection and then patchy wedge-shaped enhancement 24 or 48 h later, which subsequently disappeared 72 h later. On the whole-body bone scintigrams with 99mTc-MDP or 99mTc-PYP before obtaining renal CT, there was no increased uptake of isotope in the soft tissue, and multiple patchy increased accumulations of the isotope in the kidney were observed in 5 patients. In 2 patients, renal scintigraphies with technetium-99m-dimercaptosuccinate showed photon-deficient areas in the same areas of patchy isotope accumulation in the whole-body bone scintigraphies. Whole-body image and renal scintigraphy with bone-seeking agents may be useful as a screening test and in the search for the theoretical evidence of ARF with severe loin pain and patchy renal vasoconstriction.

MeSH terms

  • Acute Kidney Injury / diagnostic imaging*
  • Acute Kidney Injury / physiopathology*
  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Bone and Bones / diagnostic imaging*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Kidney / diagnostic imaging*
  • Male
  • Pain / physiopathology*
  • Renal Circulation*
  • Technetium Tc 99m Medronate
  • Technetium Tc 99m Pyrophosphate
  • Tomography, Emission-Computed
  • Vasoconstriction*

Substances

  • Technetium Tc 99m Pyrophosphate
  • Technetium Tc 99m Medronate