title: Scintigraphic evaluation of renal functional damage in volatile substance abusers.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Volatile organic compounds can be maintained easily and can cause dependency. Volatile substance abuse may cause damage by affecting several systems. The aim of our study was to evaluate renal functional damage in volatile substance abusers by diuretic renogram.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty nine volatile substance abusers and 30 young healthy voluntary young men were included in our study. Technetium-99m mertiatide diuretic renogram was used to evaluate renal functions and collective system urodynamics to investigate the progress of renal functional damage. Images were evaluated visually and quantitatively. Split renal function of each kidney, time to peak activity (Tmax), and half-time for radiopharmaceutical clearance from pelvicalyceal system (T1/2), ratio of cortical and whole-kidney counts at 20-3 min, and maximum counts (T20/3 and T20/max) were compared in the two groups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the study group, time to reach peak activity was statistically prolonged compared with the healthy volunteers. In the volatile substance abuser group, the average Tmax values, average T1/2 values, cortical and whole-kidney T20/3, and T20/max values were found to be prolonged compared with the control group in the diuretic renogram. There was no significant difference in the split renal function ratios between the two groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In this study, possible renal functional damage was evaluated in volatile substance abusers by diuretic renogram. In conclusion, diuretic renogram can be useful in the evaluation of renal functional damage before blood renal function tests are affected and it could be used in the follow-up of the disease in volatile substance abusers. The results of this pilot study from our country, of course, should be supported by further clinical studies.
authors.affiliation: aDepartment of Nuclear Medicine, Diskapi Yildirim Beyazit Training and Research Hospital bDepartment of Nuclear Medicine, Ankara Training and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Derya
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Cayir
authors.forename: Koray
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Demirel
authors.forename: Meliha
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Korkmaz
authors.forename: Mine
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Araz
authors.forename: Gokhan
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Koca
mesh_terms: D058186:Acute Kidney Injury / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology; D000328:Adult; D000336:Aerosols / Q000506:poisoning; D004232:Diuretics; D006801:Humans; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D007677:Kidney Function Tests / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D011866:Radioisotope Renography / Q000379:methods; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders; D017263:Technetium Tc 99m Mertiatide; D055549:Volatile Organic Compounds / Q000506:poisoning*
chemical_list: D000336:Aerosols; D004232:Diuretics; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D055549:Volatile Organic Compounds; D017263:Technetium Tc 99m Mertiatide