Differentiation between renal allograft rejection and acute tubular necrosis by renal scan

The usefulness of the renal scan in diagnosing technical complications in the transplant patient is well established. However, the ability of the renal scan to differentiate between acute rejection and acute tubular necrosis has remained uncertain. We have evaluated the effectiveness of the 99mTc DTPA computer-derived time-activity curve of renal cortical perfusion, as well as data obtained from scintillation camera images, in making such diagnoses. Fifteen patients with a clinical diagnosis of either acute rejection or acute tubular necrosis, or both, were studied retrospectively. Technetium scan diagnoses did not agree with the clinical assessment in nine of the patients. Thus selection of a course of treatment should not be based on data obtained from the scan alone.