Renal cortical scintigraphy and single proton emission computerized tomography (SPECT) in the assessment of renal defects in children

Abstract

Single photon emission computerized tomography (SPECT) is finding greater clinical applicability in pediatric imaging. We applied the principles of SPECT imaging to renal cortical scintigraphy in the assessment of renal defects. We evaluated retrospectively 35 children who were undergoing 99mtechnetium-glucoheptonate renal cortical scintigraphy. Each child underwent planar, SPECT and pinhole imaging. Of the 35 children 9 had normal systems bilaterally and the remaining 26 had at least 1 defect in 1 or both kidneys. Over-all, we identified 29 abnormal renal units. Planar imaging identified 59% of the defects, while pinhole and SPECT imaging identified 83% of the defects. When combining any 2 studies (that is planar and pinhole, planar and SPECT or pinhole and SPECT) we were able to identify 97% of the defects, which approached but was not statistically significant at p = 0.09. When data from all 3 studies were combined 100% of the defects were identified, which was a statistically significant increase in defects noted when compared to only planar images (p = 0.016). SPECT imaging was found to be a technically feasible undertaking with conventional equipment, although its clinical applicability at this time is limited.