Radionuclide kidney function evaluation in the management of urolithiasis.

Renal and ureteral stones may cause asymmetrical renal damage that is not measured accurately by serum creatinine and blood urea nitrogen studies, excretory urography, nephrotomography and arteriography. We evaluated with a renal scintillation camera study 77 patients who had renal or ureteral calculi. The radionuclide procedure provided an accurate measure of total effective renal plasma flow and differential effective renal plasma flow. It had the additional advantages of being a non-invasive procedure, causing no allergic reactions, requiring no patient preparation and producing low radiation exposure.