Sonography and dynamic scintigraphy with 99mTc-DTPA in children with nephrotic syndrome

The aim of the study is to assay the clinical application of kidney sonography and dynamic scintigraphy with 99mTc-DTPA in children presenting nephrotic syndrome. A total of 32 children (mean age 9.5±1.2) are covered by the study, with the most important laboratory investigations being performed. All patients undergo abdominal sonography and dynamic kidney scintigraphy following iv administration of 100 μC/kg 99mTc-DTPA, and glomerular filtration clarence (GFR) measured by the method of full and empty syringe activity. The functional curves are also shown. In children with primary nephrotic syndrome the sonographic imaging reveals enlarged kidney size and enhanced sonogeneity of parenchyma in the first stage. In patients with secondary nephrotic syndrome increased kidney size is likewise observed with enhanced sonogeneity of parenchyma in second stage and unclear visualization of pyramids. In children with idiopathic nephrotic syndrome the scintigraphic data confirm the enlarged kidneys with moderately increased values of GFR. In the mixed forms of nephrotic syndrome the kidneys preserve their moderate enlargement against the background of heterogeneous GFR values. In 5 patients the functional curves show kidney excretion impairment. The study confirms that sonographic imaging correlates well with the dynamic scintigraphic 99mTc-DTPA imaging in children with nephrotic syndrome. The functional curves and GFR values promote accurate diagnosing and monitoring of the dynamic pathological processes. (author)