Split Function (Relative)
Female, 16 year old, with VUR and right ureterostomy. Note atrophic and nonhomogeneous uptake in the right kidney. The left is compensatory as far as function, with regular distribution of the tracer.
Renal Scintigraphy is
excellent to assess relative function especially when one of the kidneys is
normal at the initial evaluation (1) or after interventional procedures (2). As
in this case, if the function in the injured organ is below 15% - 20%, and
depending on the associated conditions, nephrectomy may be indicated due to
little remaining parenchyma (1).
References:
1 Carreño H. et al. Medición de la Función renal relativa con Tc99m unido al ácido 2,3 Dimercaptosuccinico (Tc-99m DMSA). Un método util en la práctica clínica. Actas Urol. Esp. 1985; 9: 209-214.
2 Marchini GS, Vicentini FC, Mazzucchi
E, Brito A, Ebaid G, Srougi M. Silent ureteral stones: impact on kidney
function--can treatment of silent ureteral stones preserve kidney function?.
Urology. 2012 Feb;79(2):304-8. Epub 2011 Nov 4.