Selective scintiangiography of the kidney with xenon-133

Measurement of the spatial distribution of the clearance rate of xenon-133 from the kidney after its injection into the renal artery for estimating intrarenal blood flow can easily be combined with selective X-ray angiography as a routine method. Using a gamma camera as detection equipment anand applying a special computer analysis technique, 'functional images' can be obtained, by which the spatial distribution of the blood flow in the kidney is quantitatively mapped. Experiments with a rather heterogenous group of 12 patients suggest that in at least one type of renal pathology the xenon-133 flow study is more indicative for clinical evaluation than the X-ray angiography