The role of nuclear medicine procedures in clinical nephrology: current clinical status and future directions.
This review discusses the use of radionuclides in nephrology. Radioactive materials may be used for measurements of renal function (glomerular filtration rate, renal plasma flow) and for renal imaging. The compounds of choice for GFR and RPF measurements are 125I iothalamate and 125I orthoiodohippurate, respectively. Neither is the ideal agent since the radiolabeled yields a high radiation dose. No single agent has emerged as the best for renal imaging, however, a great many have been introduced in the last few years and their relative merits are reviewed here. The rationale for use of radionuclides in nephrology is based on an awareness of the pathophysiology of the disease process and of the physiologic handling of the radiopharmaceutical used in the diagnostic study.
D005919:Glomerular Filtration Rate; D006801:Humans; D007668:Kidney / Q000098:blood supply; D007674:Kidney Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D011868:Radioisotopes; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging / Q000379:methods*
D011868:Radioisotopes