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Objective: Urolithiasis is responsible for the majority of urological emergencies. Although computed tomography (CT) scan can identify urinary obstruction caused by stones, there is a growing concern about exposure to radiation made by this method. Renal scintigraphy can provide valuable insights regarding the functional status of kidneys and can significantly reduce exposure to radiation. The goal of present study was to assess renal function through renal scintigraphy in patients with acute renal colic and it explores the association between renal scintigraphy performance and ultrasound in terms of detecting hydronephrosis. Methods: For this study, 20 patients with acute renal colic were chosen. Each patient underwent renal ultra-sonographyandsubsequentlyreceivedrenalscintigraphywithTechnetium-99mdiethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (Tc-99m DTPA). Cohen's Kappa coefficient and Cramer's V correlation were employed to demonstrate the extent of agreement between ultrasound and renal scintigraphy. Results: 12 (60%) patients were male. Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) values were correlated with Cockcroft-Gault equation and the Gates method (P=0.002, r=0.642). There was a good agreement and a statistically significant relationship between ultrasound and renal scintigraphy in terms of detecting obstructive uropathy in both kidneys. Conclusion: To conclude, GFR values were correlated between Cockcroft-Gault equation and the Gates method in patients with acute renal colic. There was a good agreement and statistically significant relationship between ultrasound and obstructive renography results in both kidneys. However, we found no association between perfusion phase of renal scintigraphy and ultrasonography in terms of hydronephrosis detection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Myocardial perfusion SPECT by 99mTc-Sestamibi and 99mTc-Tetrofosmin radiopharmaceuticals usually presents a false significant increase in the radiotracer uptake in the inferior myocardium due to the uptake in organs such as liver, bowel, stomach and biliary system. The present study evaluated a suitable Slit angle for differentiating extra-cardiac activities by Slit Slat collimation. Methods: The Siemens E.CAM gamma camera equipped with a Low Energy High Resolution (LEHR) collimator was simulated with the Simulating Medical Imaging Nuclear Detectors (SIMIND)Monte Carlo program. Following the verification of the simulation, a Slit Slat collimator was simulated for SPECT imaging of a NURBS-based Cardiac Torso (NCAT) phantom with different Slit angels ranged from 0 to 30 degrees. The reconstructed images were qualitatively assessed with blinded observer method by three nuclear medicine specialists. Results: The improved differentiation of the bowel activity from the cardiac was obtained by a Slit-Slat collimator with the Slit angle of 7 degree. While for gastric activity differentiation an angle of 15 degree for the Slit was useful. Conclusion: The results showed that Slit Slat collimation with 7 and 15 Slit angle provide a suitable differentiation of the bowel and gastric activities from the cardia, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]