Immediate renal imaging and renography with 99mTc methylene diphosphonate to assess renal blood flow, excretory function, and anatomy.

99mTc methylene diphosphonate (99mTc MDP) was evaluated as a clinical renal imaging agent in 20 patients referred for bone scintigraphy. Sequential scintigraphy, which was started immediately after injection, yielded blood flow studies of high quality, and subsequent images accurately delineated renal anatomy and excretion in nonazotemic patients. In comparison with delayed images, early images were vastly superior in quality and demonstrated improved target-to-nontarget activity ratios(p less than 0.001) and improved lesion detectability (p less than 0.01). Renal imaging performed incidental to bone scintigraphy with MDP can be greatly enhanced by initiating sequential scintigraphy immediately after injection.