Role of Late DMSA Renal Scan in Detecting High-Grade Vesicoureteral Reflux

SNMMI procedure standard/EANM practice guideline on pediatric [99mTc]Tc-DMSA renal cortical scintigraphy: an update

The Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI), founded in 1954, is an international scientific and professional organization with a purpose to promote the science, technology, and practical application of nuclear medicine. The European Association of Nuclear Medicine (EANM), founded in 1985, is a nonprofit professional medical association with a purpose to facilitate international communication among individuals in nuclear medicine pursuing clinical and academic excellence. Members of the SNMMI and EANM are physicians, technologists, and scientists who specialize in the research and practice of nuclear medicine. The SNMMI and EANM will periodically publish new guidelines for nuclear medicine practice to further advance the science of nuclear medicine and improve patient care. Existing standards/guidelines will be reviewed for revision or renewal, as appropriate. Each standard/guideline, representing a policy statement by the SNMMI/EANM, has undergone a thorough review, and represents an expert consensus. The SNMMI and EANM recognize that the safe and effective use of diagnostic nuclear medicine imaging requires specific training and skills, as described in each document. These standards/guidelines are educational resources designed to assist practitioners in providing appropriate nuclear medicine care for patients. They are consensus documents, and are not mandatory provisions or requirements of practice. They are not intended, nor should they be used, to establish a legal standard of care. For these reasons and those set forth below, the SNMMI and the EANM cautions against the use of these standards/guidelines in litigation procedures that call into question the clinical decisions of a practitioner. The ultimate judgment regarding the appropriateness and propriety of any specific procedure or course of action must be made by medical professionals, taking into account the unique context of each case. Thus, there is no implication that action differing from what is detailed in these standards/guidelines, on its own, is below the standard of care. On the contrary, a conscientious practitioner may responsibly adopt a course of action different from that set forth in the standards/guidelines when, based on the reasonable judgment of the practitioner, such course of action is warranted based on the condition of the patient, limitations of available resources, or advances in knowledge or technology subsequent to publication of the standards/guidelines. Practicing medicine involves not only the science, but also the art of dealing with the prevention, detection, diagnosis, and treatment of disease. The variety and complexity of human conditions make it impossible for general guidelines to consistently allow for an accurate diagnosis to be reached or a specific treatment response to be predicted. Therefore, it should be recognized that adhering to these standards/guidelines does not ensure a successful outcome. All that should be expected is that a practitioner follows a reasonable course of action based on their level of training, the current landscape of knowledge, the resources at their disposal, and the needs/context of the particular patient being treated. The purpose of this document is to provide nuclear medicine physicians, radiologists, and other clinicians with guidelines for the recommendation, performance and interpretation of 99mTc-dimercaptosuccinic acid renal cortical scintigraphy ([99mTc] Tc-DMSA scintigraphy) in pediatric patients. These recommendations represent the expert opinions of experienced leaders in this field, and these recommendations are not all supported by a high level of evidence. Further studies are required to have evidence-based recommendations for the application of [99mTc] Tc-DMSA renal cortical scintigraphy in pediatrics. This guideline summarizes the views of the SNMMI Renal Cortical Scintigraphy in Children Working Group and the EANM Pediatrics Committee. It reflects recommendations for which the SNMMI and EANM cannot be held responsible. The recommendations should be taken into context of good practice of nuclear medicine and do not substitute for national and international legal or regulatory provisions.

Pediatric Nephro-Urology: Overview and Updates in Diuretic Renal Scans and Renal Cortical Scintigraphy

Nuclear medicine offers several diagnostic scans for the evaluation of congenital and acquired conditions of the kidneys and urinary track in children. Tc-99m-MAG 3 diuretic renal scans are most commonly used in the evaluation and follow up of urinary track dilatations. They provide functional information on the differential renal function and on drainage quality which is allows distinction between obstructed and non-obstructed kidneys and the need for surgical correction vs conservative management in kidneys with impaired drainage. Standardized imaging and processing protocols are essential for correct interpretation and for meaningful comparisons between follow up scans. Different approaches and conceptions led to some contradicting recommendations between SNMMI and EANM guidelines on diuretic renography in children which caused confusion and to the emergence of self-made institutional protocols. In Late 2018 the two societies published joint procedural guidelines on diuretic renography in infants and children which hopefully will end the confusion. Tc-99m DMSA scans provide important information about the function of the renal cortex allowing detection of acute pyelonephritis, renal scars dysplasia and ectopy as well as accurate determination of the differential renal function. They are commonly used in the evaluation of children with urinary tract infections and affect clinical management. A standardized imaging and processing protocol improves the diagnostic accuracy of these studies. SPECT or pinhole images should be a routine part of the imaging protocol. This is one of the recommendations in the new EANM and SNMMI procedural guidelines for renal cortical scintigraphy in children available online on the SNMMI website and is under publication. This article provides an overview on the clinical role of diuretic renography and cortical scintigraphy in children and describes the imaging protocols focusing on the new recommendations in the procedural guidelines.

Prediction of Vesicoureteral Reflux by Ultrasonography and Renal Scan in Children

Background. In recent studies, renal ultrasonography and dimercapto-succinic acid (DMSA) scan have a role in predicting vesicoureteral reflux in children with febrile urinary tract infection (UTI). Materials and Methods. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), positive likelihood ratio (PLR), and negative likelihood ratio (NLR) were defined for ultrasonography and DMSA scan to predict vesicoureteral reflux in 70 children with febrile UTI. Results. Renal ultrasonography sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV, PLR, and NLR for vesicourethral reflux prediction was 0.57, 0, 1, 0, 0.57, and 0.47 and sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV, PLR, and NLR of DMSA scan for predicting vesicourethral reflux was 0.75, 0.9, 0.33, 0.98, 7.5, and 0.27, respectively. Conclusions. Ultrasonography cannot predict the presence of VUR, but DMSA scan has a good sensitivity in this context. Therefore, by observation of DMSA scan results, it can be decided whether to perform VCUG or not.