Single-photon emission CT using (99m)Tc-dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA) for characterization of suspected renal masses.
OBJECTIVE
A retrospective analysis of the clinical utility of (99m)Tc-dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA) single photon emission CT (SPECT) for characterization of suspected renal masses.


METHODS
15 patients who had undergone (99m)Tc-DMSA SPECT were identified, and 13 patients also had SPECT/CT. (99m)Tc-DMSA uptake in the renal lesion was characterized semiquantitatively. Other imaging tests, histology and clinical data were available for correlation.


RESULTS
(99m)Tc-DMSA was not taken up in all five renal masses with histological confirmation of malignancy (uptake 7-19% of normal renal tissue); in two further masses, which were clinically likely to be malignant; and in one indeterminate mass (lack of sufficiently long follow-up). No renal malignancy was identified in any of the seven patients whose renal masses had normal (99m)Tc-DMSA uptake (41-130%).


CONCLUSIONS
Although caution with regard to applying those results in clinical practice must be advised, owing to the retrospective nature of this report and the small number of patients included, it seems that (99m)Tc-DMSA SPECT shows a clinically useful diagnostic accuracy for distinguishing true renal masses (which in many cases require surgery) from pseudomasses.


CONCLUSIONS
(99m)Tc-DMSA SPECT is a clinically useful adjunct test for characterization of suspected renal masses.
1 Department of Nuclear Medicine, Derriford Hospital, Plymouth, England, UK.
T
T
Grüning
B E
BE
Drake
S J
SJ
Freeman
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007668:Kidney / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D007677:Kidney Function Tests; D007680:Kidney Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D019783:Technetium Tc 99m Dimercaptosuccinic Acid; D015899:Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon / Q000379:methods
D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D019783:Technetium Tc 99m Dimercaptosuccinic Acid