Quantitative Analysis of Absolute Renal Uptake of 99m-Tc-DMSA in Normal Adults

Lee, Seung Jae; Chang, Sung Goo; Kim, Jin Il

Abstract

Renal function has been evaluated by 99m-Tc-DMSA scanning through the amount of radioactivities uptaken by the right and left kidneys. But, since the analysis on relative renal functions can't solve the quantitative standard of absolute renal functions, it is difficult to diagnose or follow up on renal diseases. For example, it becomes very hard to understand the functional compensation of a healthy kidney in case there are diseases in a single kidney or in one side of the kidney. Thus, this study was performed in order to quantify the absolute renal uptake rate and to find out the contributing factors in 99m-Tc-DMSA scanning on healthy adults. The subjects of this study were based on the tests which were taken before the operations of 54 donors of kidney transplantation(male :40 female :14) from 1989. 6. to 1994. 4. The test results showed that there was no significant difference between the right and left kidneys-right renal uptake level being 18.29+/-6.22% and, left 18.37+/-6.23%. It also showed that as people get older the renal uptake rate gradually decreases-the uptake level of 20's :2l.80+/-7.87%, 30's : 17.29+/-4.78%, 40's : 17.28+/-3.71%, 50's : 16.06+/-3.79%, 60's : 13.27+/-2.17%. But there was no differences between male and female (p>0.5). Higher 99m-Tc-DMSA renal uptake rate was shown the farther the kidneys were located from the skin (p<0.01). But, 99m-Tc-DMSA renal uptake rate showed no significant correlations with the renal creatinine clearance rate (p>0.5). Thus, though results may vary according to what scanning machines used and their revised levels, by quantifying the absolute renal uptake rate on healthy kidneys, 99m-Tc-DMSA scanning serves as an indirect index in estimating the degrees of renal diseases.