Association of abnormal stress thallium renal images with hypertension and renal pathology

This study's purpose was to assess the potential role of kidney imaging in detecting hypoperfusion and renovascular disease in patients undergoing myocardial thallium stress tests. One hundred patients underwent posterior renal imaging following stress. Twenty-three had abnormal renal uptake (asymmetric or focally decreased); all had hypertension requiring multidrug therapy. Four of these patients have undergone angiography; three had renovascular disease and one had ureteral obstruction. Cysts, emboli, and scarring have been demonstrated in other patients with abnormal studies. Thallium kidney imaging may detect renovascular parenchymal disease and therefore may be a beneficial routine addition to cardiac imaging protocols