Comparison of early postoperative function of liver and renal allografts with radionuclide imaging.
OBJECTIVE
Radionuclide imaging is a valuable tool during the early posttransplantation period for evaluating the functional status of renal and liver allografts. The aim of this study was to compare the early postoperative function of renal and liver allografts with serial radionuclide imaging.


METHODS
Twenty-two renal and 22 liver allograft recipients were evaluated with serial radionuclide imaging. All grafts were from living related donors. For renal scintigraphy, recipients were injected with Tc-99m DTPA, and imaging was performed on postoperative days 3 and 7. Liver allograft recipients were evaluated with Tc-99m mebrofenin hepatobiliary scintigraphy within the first postoperative week and as required thereafter. The following parameters were computed for each scintigraphy: uptake, time to excretion of the radiopharmaceutical (T(ex)), and retention of radioactivity at the end of the study.


RESULTS
Among 22 renal transplant recipients, 19 (86%) had normal uptake and T(ex) values on day 7 posttransplantation. Nine (41%) renal grafts exhibited retention. Among 22 liver transplant recipients, 7 (32%) had normal findings on the first hepatobiliary scan. All except eight liver grafts (64%) had a delay in T(ex), and 15 (68%) had parenchymal retention on the first scan, with improvement of function observed on serial scintigraphies obtained during follow-up. Decreases in uptake were seen less frequently and correlated with a prolonged postoperative hospital stay.


CONCLUSIONS
Renal transplant recipients are more likely than liver allograft recipients to have a normal scintigraphy in the early posttransplantation period. Retention of radioactivity at the end of the study was the most frequently observed abnormality for both renal and liver allografts. Most liver transplant recipients exhibited a delay in excretion, and parenchymal retention, of radioactivity on the first evaluation, with subsequent improvement on follow-up serial scintigraphy studies.
Aktaş
A
A
Baskent University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Ankara, Turkey.
Koyuncu
A
A
Dalgiç
A
A
Haberal
M
M
D006801:Humans; D007668:Kidney / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D016030:Kidney Transplantation / Q000502:physiology*; D008099:Liver / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D016031:Liver Transplantation / Q000502:physiology*; D019520:Living Donors; D011184:Postoperative Period; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D016284:Technetium Tc 99m Pentetate / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D014018:Tissue Distribution; D014184:Transplantation, Homologous; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D016284:Technetium Tc 99m Pentetate