Renal parenchymal damage on DMSA-scintigraphy in pelviureteric obstruction

During a 1.5 year period 21 children were investigated with 99-m-technetium dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA) before operation for hydronephrosis due to pelviureteric obstruction. The age at investigation was 0.2-11.5 years. Fourty-two kidneys were examined. Hydronephrosis existed on the right side in 8 cases, left side in 9 and bilateral in 4 cases. Seventeen kidneys had no obstruction. The scintigraphy was interpreted as normal in 19 kidneys. Decreased isotope uptake was found in 23 kidneys and localized to the upper pole area in 19 kidneys, middle-lateral part in 7, lower pole area in 15 and the middle-medial part in 12 kidneys. There were no predominance for any part of the kidney to be affected by parenchymal damage. In 8 children investigated before the age of 1 year, 4 of 10 hydronephrotic kidneys revealed normal DMSA scintigram. DMSA scintigraphy delineates functioning renal parenchyma. DMSA scintigraphy delineates functioning renal parenchyma. It can be recommended as a routine method for evaluation of the renal parenchyma before surgery and for follow up studies in all ages of childhood.