Immediate renal imaging and renography with /sup 99m/Tc methylene diphosphonate to assess renal blood flow, excretory function, and anatomy

/sup 99m/Tc methylene diphosphonate (/sup 99m/Tc 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 < 0.001) and improved lesion detectability (p < 0.01). Renal imaging performed incidental to bone scintigraphy with MDP can be greatly enhanced by initiating sequential scintigraphy immediately after injection