The British Journal of Radiology, Vol 51, Issue 610 802-807, Copyright © 1978 by British Institute of Radiology

ARTICLES

Isotope renography and long term follow-up of renal transplant patients

CC Doherty, JF Douglas and MG McGeown

Isotope renography was carried out in 64 kidney transplant patients attending a follow-up clinic. Graft survival in these patients ranged from two months to ten years. Forty-one patients had normal renograms and 98% of these had satisfactory function (creatinine clearance greater than 50 ml/min). Eighteen patients showed a major renogram abnormality and 50% of these had impaired function. Five of these 18 have been explored and found to have graft complications (obstructive disease in four, chronic pyelonephritis in one). Exploration has not been undertaken in the remaining 13 but nine show evidence suggestive of graft pathology (proteinuria, impaired creatinine clearance, elevated urinary enzymes, calyceal distortion on IVP). A successful kidney transplant should result in a normal isotope renogram, and a major abnormality of the renogram suggests the presence of a graft complication, even when the creatinine clearance is unimpaired. We feel renography is useful for identification of renal transplant patients who require further investigation or closer follow-up.