Gamma-camera scintigraphy and renal angiography after transplantation.

Gamma-camera scintigraphy with a 99Tcm-Fe-ascorbic acid complex was used routinely to study the graft in the course of kidney transplantations. Renal angiography was only performed when judged to be necessary for the evaluation of present complications. For comparison, between the findings obtained on the same clinical occasion by scintigraphy and angiography respectively, 39 angiographical studies were available. Early after transplantation scintigraphy better than angiography appeared to predict a poor prognosis of the graft. Both methods were able to detect major vascular occlusions. For the study of the renal vessels during a course of chronic rejection it was necessary to perform angiography as also for e.g. the recognition of renal artery stenosis or an arterial aneurysma.