Quantitative measurement of renal perfusion following transplant surgery.

We developed an easily implemented clinical procedure for quantitative perfusion measurements in transplanted kidneys using intravenously administered [99mTc]DTPA and the tracer fractionation technique. F = Ak(T)/0 integral of T [Aa(t)/Va] dt, where F = renal blood flow, Ak(T) = DTPA activity in kidney at time = T, Va = ultrasonographically measured femoral artery segment volume, T = time postinjection of F determination, and Aa(t) = time course of DTPA activity in femoral artery segment. The technique was applied to a group of 80 studies in 35 patients in whom an independent clinical determination of transplant function was available. Blood flow (units of ml/min) measured 439 +/- 83 in normally functioning transplants, 248 +/- 63 in transplants with acute tubular necrosis, 128 +/- 62 in transplants with rejection, and 284 +/- 97 in transplants with cyclosporine toxicity. These preliminary results indicate potential usefulness of this method in the evaluation of renal function following transplant surgery.