Radionuclide investigations of the urinary tract in the era of multimodality imaging.
This article presents the role of nuclear medicine procedures in investigating renal and parenchymal disease, as well as upper urinary tract abnormalities. More specifically, the use of scintigraphy is described in the exploration of urinary tract dilatation and UTIs, vesicoureteric reflux, renovascular hypertension, and renal transplants. With a low radiation burden and the absence of sedation, these nuclear medicine procedures are easy to perform and can provide clinicians with valuable data on renal perfusion and the function of individual kidneys, as well as on urinary tract dynamics. However, knowledge of limitations and technical pitfalls is essential in understanding the role of scintigraphy among contemporary imaging methods and the unique information it supplies in nephrourology.
Boubaker
Ariane
A
Department of Nuclear Medicine, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois, Lausanne, Switzerland.
Prior
John O
JO
Meuwly
Jean-Yves
JY
Bischof-Delaloye
Angelika
A
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006978:Hypertension, Renovascular / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D007223:Infant; D016030:Kidney Transplantation / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009683:Nuclear Medicine / Q000639:trends*; D011704:Pyelonephritis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D011866:Radioisotope Renography / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D014551:Urinary Tract / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology