The SNMMI and EANM practice guideline for renal scintigraphy in adults.

PURPOSE: The Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI) is an international scientific and professional organization founded in 1954 to promote the science, technology, and practical application of nuclear medicine. The European Association of Nuclear Medicine (EANM) is a professional nonprofit medical association that facilitates communication worldwide between individuals pursuing clinical and research excellence in nuclear medicine. The EANM was founded in 1985. SNMMI and EANM members are physicians, technologists, and scientists specializing in the research and practice of nuclear medicine. METHODS: The SNMMI and EANM will periodically define new guidelines for nuclear medicine practice to help advance the science of nuclear medicine and to improve the quality of service to patients throughout the world. Existing practice guidelines will be reviewed for revision or renewal, as appropriate, on their fifth anniversary, or sooner, if indicated. CONCLUSION: Each practice guideline, representing a policy statement by the SNMMI/EANM, has undergone a thorough consensus process in which it has been subjected to extensive review. The SNMMI and EANM recognize that the safe and effective use of diagnostic nuclear medicine imaging requires specific training, skills, and techniques, as described in each document. Reproduction or modification of the published practice guideline by entities not providing these services is not authorized.

Contribution of (18)F-FDG PET in the diagnostic assessment of fever of unknown origin (FUO): a stratification-based meta-analysis.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to quantify the contribution of FDG PET to the diagnostic assessment of fever of unknown origin (FUO), taking into account the diagnostic limitations resulting from the composite nature of this entity. METHODS: The PubMed/MEDLINE database was searched from 2000 to September 2015. Original articles fulfilling the following criteria were included: (1) FUO as the initial diagnosis, (2) no immunosuppressed or nosocomial condition, (3) final diagnosis not based on PET, (4) a follow-up period specified, (5) adult population, and (6) availability of adapted data for calculation of odds ratios (ORs). ORs were computed for each study and then pooled using a random effects model. Stratification-based sensitivity analyses were finally performed using the following prespecified criteria: (a) study design, (b) PET device, (c) geographic area, and (d) follow-up period. RESULTS: A meta-analysis of the 14 included studies showed that normal PET findings led to an increase in the absolute final diagnostic rate of 36 % abnormal PET findings to an increase of 83 %, corresponding to a pooled OR of 8.94 (95 % CI 4.18 - 19.12, Z = 5.65; p < 0.00001). The design of the studies influenced the results (OR 2.92, 95 % CI 1.00 - 8.53 for prospective studies; OR 18,57, 95 % CI 7.57 - 45.59 for retrospective studies; p = 0.01), whereas devices (dedicated or hybrid), geographic area and follow-up period did not. CONCLUSION: Abnormal PET findings are associated with a substantially increased final diagnostic rate in FUO. Consequently, FDG PET could be considered for inclusion in the first-line diagnostic work-up of FUO. Further randomized prospective studies with standardized FDG PET procedures are warranted to confirm this first-line position.

Chronic urinary obstruction: evaluation of dynamic contrast-enhanced MR urography for measurement of split renal function.

PURPOSE: To evaluate if measurement of split renal function ( SRF split renal function ) with dynamic contrast material-enhanced ( DCE dynamic contrast enhanced ) magnetic resonance (MR) urography is equivalent to that with renal scintigraphy ( RS renal scintigraphy ) in patients suspected of having chronic urinary obstruction. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study protocol was approved by the institutional ethics committee of the coordinating center on behalf of all participating centers. Informed consent was obtained from all adult patients or both parents of children. This prospective, comparative study included 369 pediatric and adult patients from 14 university hospitals who were suspected of having chronic or intermittent urinary obstruction, and data from 295 patients with complete data were used for analysis. SRF split renal function was measured by using the area under the curve and the Patlak-Rutland methods, including successive review by a senior and an expert reviewer and measurement of intra- and interobserver agreement for each technique. An equivalence test for mean SRF split renal function was conducted with an α of 5%. RESULTS: Reproducibility was substantial to almost perfect for both methods. Equivalence of DCE dynamic contrast enhanced MR urography and RS renal scintigraphy for measurement of SRF split renal function was shown in patients with moderately dilated kidneys (P < .001 with the Patlak-Rutland method). However, in severely dilated kidneys, the mean SRF split renal function measurement was underestimated by 4% when DCE dynamic contrast enhanced MR urography was used compared with that when RS renal scintigraphy was used. Age and type of MR imaging device had no significant effect. CONCLUSION: For moderately dilated kidneys, equivalence of DCE dynamic contrast enhanced MR urography to RS renal scintigraphy was shown, with a standard deviation of approximately 12% between the techniques, making substitution of DCE dynamic contrast enhanced MR urography for RS renal scintigraphy acceptable. For severely dilated kidneys, a mean underestimation of SRF split renal function of 4% should be expected with DCE dynamic contrast enhanced MR urography, making substitution questionable.

Synthesis and application of lactosylated, 99mTc chelating albumin for measurement of liver function.

Neogalactosylated and neolactosylated albumins are currently used as radiopharmaceutical agents for imaging the liver asialoglycoprotein receptors, which allows the quantification of hepatic liver function in various diseases and also in healthy liver transplant donors. We developed an original process for synthesizing a chelating neolactosylated human albumin using maleimidopropyl-lactose and maleimidopropyl-diethylene triamine pentaacetic acid (DTPA) derivatives. The lactosylated protein (LACTAL) conjugate showed excellent liver uptake compared to nonlactosylated protein and a very high signal-to-noise ratio, based on functional assessment of biodistribution in mice using (99m)Tc-scintigraphy.

Monitoring renal function and limitations of renal function tests.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a world-wide public health problem, with adverse outcomes of kidney failure, cardiovascular disease, and premature death. The National Kidney Foundation, through its Kidney Disease Quality Outcome Initiative (K/DOQI) and other National institutions, recommend glomerular filtration rate (GFR) estimates for the definition, classification, screening, and monitoring of CKD. Prediction equations based on serum creatinine values were chosen both for adults (Cockcroft-Gault [C-G] and Modification of Diet in Renal Disease [MDRD] study equations) and for children (Schwartz and Counahan-Barratt equations). This review aims to evaluate from recent literature the clinical efficiency and relevance of these equations in terms of bias, precision, and reproducibility in different specific indications (eg, screening CKD, assessment of disease progression, or therapy efficacy) in different populations. Because these prediction equations based on serum creatinine have limitations, especially in the normal or near-normal GFR range, kidney transplant recipients, and pediatric populations, other prediction equations based on serum cystatin C value were also considered as possibly more sensitive GFR surrogate markers. Recent guidelines state that the cystatin C-based prediction equation cannot be recommended for use in clinical practice. With prediction equations based on serum creatinine, the National Kidney Disease Education Program (NKDEP) recommendations are to report a numerical estimate in round numbers only for GFR values <60 mL/min per 1.73 m(2). The MDRD equation generally outperforms the C-G equation but may still have a high level of bias, depending on creatinine assay calibration, and low precision with, at best, approximately 80% of estimated GFR in the "accuracy range" of 70-130% of the measured GFR value, even in patients with known CKD. According to Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) recommendations, many indications remain for GFR measurements using a clearance method. In that context, it should be recalled that radiolabeled-tracer plasma or urinary clearance methods, are safe, simple, accurate and reproducible.

International Scientific Committee of Radionuclides in Nephrourology (ISCORN) consensus on renal transit time measurements.

This report is the conclusion of the international consensus committee on renal transit time (subcommittee of the International Scientific Committee of Radionuclides in Nephrourology) and provides recommendations on measurement, normal values, and analysis of clinical utility. Transit time is the time that a tracer remains within the kidney or within a part of the kidney (eg, parenchymal transit time). It can be obtained from a dynamic renogram and a vascular input acquired in standardized conditions by a deconvolution process. Alternatively to transit time measurement, simpler indices were proposed, such as time of maximum, normalized residual activity or renal output efficiency. Transit time has been mainly used in urinary obstruction, renal artery stenosis, or renovascular hypertension and renal transplant. Despite a large amount of published data on obstruction, only the value of normal transit is established. The value of delayed transit remains controversial, probably due to lack of a gold standard for obstruction. Transit time measurements are useful to diagnose renovascular hypertension, as are some of the simpler indices. The committee recommends further collaborative trials.

Biliary leak in a child after liver transplant and value of delayed images.

A 2-year-old child underwent liver transplant and was referred for postsurgical abdominal pain. Hepatobiliary scintigraphy with Tc-99m iminodiacetic acid (IDA) was performed and with the help of 24-hour delayed images, the diagnosis of biliary leak at the site of anastomosis was made possible. This case report confirms the value of delayed images to facilitate the diagnosis in unequivocal situations and reminds us of the usefulness of this noninvasive method, especially in pediatrics.

Clinical problems in renovascular disease and the role of nuclear medicine.

Although renovascular disease remains defined as a stenosis of the main renal artery or its proximal branches (renal artery stenosis [RAS]), its clinical overview has changed dramatically over the last 15-20 years and its management is more controversial than ever before. The clinical problems, not only diagnosis and treatment but also the relative contribution of different pathophysiological mechanisms involved in the progression of kidney disease, have shifted dramatically. This presentation aims to emphasize the paradigm change revisiting the (recent) past focused on renovascular hypertension (RVH) to the current context of preservation or recovery of threatened renal function in patients with progressive atherosclerotic renovascular disease until its last stage of irreversible "ischemic nephropathy." In the past, the foreground was occupied by RVH, a very rare disease, where the activation of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) was supposed to play the major, if not only, role in RVH issues. The retrospective RVH diagnosis was established either on the improvement or, more rarely, on the cure of hypertension after revascularization by, most often, a percutaneous transluminal renal angioplasty with or without a stent placement. At this time, captoptril radionuclide renography was an efficient diagnostic tool, because it was a functional (angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibition), noninvasive test aiming to evidence both the RAAS activation and the lateralization (or asymmetry) of renin secretion by the kidney affected by a "hemodynamically significant" RAS. At present, even if captoptril radionuclide renography could be looked upon as the most efficient (and cost effective in selected high-risk patients) noninvasive, functional test to predict the improvement of hypertension after RAS correction, its clinical usefulness is questioned as the randomized, prospective trials failed to demonstrate any significant benefits (either on blood pressure control or on renal function protection) of the revascularization over current antihypertensive therapy. Today many patients with RVH remain undetected for years because they are treated successfully and at low expense with these new blockers of RAAS. In addition to its well-known role in hemodynamics, angiotensin II promotes activations of profibrogenic and inflammatory factors and cells and stimulates reactive oxygen species generation. The "atherosclerotic milieu" itself plays a role in the loss of renal microvessels and defective angiogenesis. After an "adaptative" phase, ischemia eventually develops and induces hypoxia, the substratum of ischemic nephropathy. Because blood oxygen level-dependent MRI may provide an index of oxygen content in vivo, it may be useful to predict renal function outcome after percutaneous transluminal renal angioplasty. New PET tracers, dedicated to assess RAAS receptors, inflammatory cell infiltrates, angiogenesis, and apoptose, would be tested in this context of atherosclerotic renovascular disease.

Guidance document for structured reporting of diuresis renography.

This Guidance Document for structured reporting of diuresis renography in adults was developed by the International Scientific Committee of Radionuclides in Nephro-urology (ISCORN; http://www.iscorn.org). ISCORN chose diuresis renography for its first structured report Guidance Document because suspected obstruction is the most common reason for referral, most radionuclide renal studies are conducted at institutions that perform fewer than 3 studies per week, and a large percentage of studies are interpreted by physicians with limited training in nuclear medicine. Ten panelists were asked to categorize specific reporting elements as essential, recommended, optional (without sufficient data to support a higher ranking), and unnecessary (does not contribute to scan interpretation or quality assurance). The final document was developed through an iterative series of comments and questionnaires with a majority vote required to place an element in a specific category. The Guidance Document recommends a reporting structure organized into indications, clinical history, study procedure, findings and impression and specifies the elements considered essential or recommended in each category. The Guidance Document is not intended to be restrictive but, rather, to provide a basic structure and rationale so that the diuresis renography report will: (1) communicate the results to the referring physician in a clear and concise manner designed to optimize patient care; (2) contain the essential elements required to evaluate and interpret the study; (3) clearly document the technical components of the study necessary for accountability, quality assurance and reimbursement; and (4) encourage clinical research by facilitating better comparison and extrapolation of results between institutions.

Intrapancreatic accessory spleen diagnosed on radionuclide imaging.

Intrapancreatic accessory spleen (IPAS) is ectopic splenic tissue distinct from the main spleen. A 46-year-old man with chronic hepatitis C, presented in 2006 with low right chest pain which led to a diagnosis of tuberculosis pleurisy. CT scan and MRI showed a round, homogenous, well limited mass of 3cm in the pancreas tail. Tc-99m heat-damaged red blood cell scintigraphy with SPECT-CT was performed to confirm the diagnosis of IPAS. Most cases of IPAS described in the literature were diagnosed by pathologists after distal pancreatectomy and splenectomy performed for a suspicion of pancreatic tumor. However, heat-damaged red blood cell scintigraphy remains the most commonly used diagnostic procedure for IPAS, even if superparamagnetic iron oxide MRI contrast agent may be used in the future.

At what level of unilateral renal impairment does contralateral functional compensation occur?

Functional compensation occurs in a kidney when the function of the contralateral kidney is decreased or absent. What is, however, not documented is the level of unilateral renal impairment at which functional compensation occurs. Split function, as obtained from a radionuclide renogram, can only show the asymmetry between both kidneys. The aim of the present work was to evaluate at what level of unilateral impairment a functional compensation can be observed in the contralateral normal kidney. From a large database, 180 children over 2 years of age with unilateral pathology were retrospectively selected. All of them underwent a radionuclide study, combining a technetium-99m mercaptoacetyltriglycine (Tc-99m MAG3) renogram associated with a chromium-51 ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (Cr-51 EDTA) overall clearance, allowing a precise estimation of single-kidney glomerular filtration rate (SKGFR). Below 30-35 ml/min/1.73 m2, there was a significant inverse correlation between SKGFR on the normal and the abnormal side. Above this level, no such correlation was observed, the mean SKGFR on the normal side remaining around 58 ml/min/1.73 m2, whatever the value of SKGFR on the abnormal side. In pediatric patients, hyperfunction occurs when SKGFR of the diseased kidney is below 30-35 ml/min/1.73 m2.

Changes in renal function in patients with familial amyloid polyneuropathy treated with orthotopic liver transplantation.

BACKGROUND: Familial amyloid polyneuropathy (FAP) is an autosomal dominant disease caused by a point mutation in the gene encoding transthyretin, which is secreted by the liver. Orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) has been proposed to prevent disease progression. Little is known about long-term changes in renal function and lesions after OLT. METHODS: The renal function of 33 patients with FAP was evaluated (proteinuria, serum creatinine, creatinine clearance) before OLT and over a period of at least 5 years afterwards. A pre-transplantation renal biopsy was performed in 14 patients and a follow-up biopsy in eight patients. RESULTS: Before transplantation, mean serum creatinine concentration was 86 micromol/l (47-126 micromol/l) and creatinine clearance was 71.9+/-31.6 ml/min/1.73 m(2). Proteinuria was detected in 54% of patients (0.3-4 g/day). Pre-transplant renal biopsies (n = 14) revealed glomerular, tubular and vascular amyloid deposits in 90, 58 and 66% of patients, respectively. Eleven patients (33%) died after OLT. Death occurred most frequently in patients having weight losses >7 kg (P<0.05). After transplantation, 25 patients (76%) suffered acute renal failure but only one required dialysis. One month after transplantation, the mean serum creatinine concentration was 134.1+/-73 micromol/l and remained constant during follow-up. Eight patients underwent a second renal biopsy 2 years after transplantation. No significant changes in deposits or renal toxicity due to calcineurin inhibitors were detected. CONCLUSION: Although liver transplantation in FAP does not affect existing renal amyloid deposits, it prevents the progression of renal disease.