title: A method for estimating DMSA SPECT renal function for assessing the effect of percutaneous nephrolithotripsy on the treated pole.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The aim of this study was to develop a method for estimating DMSA SPECT renal function on each renal pole in order to evaluate the effect of percutaneous nephrolithotripsy by focusing the measurements on the region through which the percutaneous approach is performed.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty patients undergoing percutaneous nephrolithotripsy between November 2010 and June 2012 were included in this study. Both Planar and SPECT-DMSA studies were carried out before and after nephrolithotripsy. The effect of percutaneous nephrolithotripsy was evaluated by estimating the total renal function and the regional renal function of each renal pole. Despite PCNL has been previously reported as a minimally invasive technique, our results showed regional renal function decreases in the treated pole in most patients, affecting the total renal function in a few of them.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A quantification method was used for estimating the SPECT DMSA renal function of the upper, interpolar and lower renal poles. Our results confirmed that total renal function was preserved after nephrolithotripsy. Nevertheless, the proposed method showed that the regional renal function of the treated pole decreased in most patients (15 of 20 patients), allowing us to find differences in patients who had not shown changes in the total renal function obtained from conventional quantification methods.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A method for estimating the SPECT DMSA renal function focused on the treated pole enabled us to show for the first time that nephrolithotripsy can lead to a renal parenchymal damage restricted to the treated pole.
authors.affiliation: Nuclear Medicine Department, Clinical Hospital, Santiago de Compostela, Spain - pablo.aguiar.fernandez@sergas.es.
authors.forename: Pablo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Aguiar
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Pérez-Fentes
authors.forename: Miguel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Garrido
authors.forename: Camilo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: García
authors.forename: Álvaro
authors.initials: Á
authors.lastname: Ruibal
authors.forename: Julia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cortés
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007668:Kidney / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000601:surgery*; D007669:Kidney Calculi / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery; D007677:Kidney Function Tests / Q000379:methods*; D008096:Lithotripsy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009403:Nephrostomy, Percutaneous; D004113:Succimer; D015899:Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D004113:Succimer