Radionuclides in renal transplantation.

acid In the terminal stages of renal failure, renal trans plantation has become an effective means of treat ment (1,2) . Although survival rates have improved since the availability of adequate immunotherapy, present means of diagnosing the various forms of renal complications leave much to be desired. Since 1966 180 kidney transplantations have been performed at the university clinics in Munich (2). Encouraged by communications of other authors (3—9)we have begun to use procedures involving ra dioisotopes, and results were compared with nephro logical testing procedures ( 10—iS). Clinical diagnosis was based on the clinical course, palpation of the transplant, urine volume, serum creatinine, creatinine clearance, sodium excretion, urinary osmolarity, and biopsy. Radiological procedures were usually confined to abdominal x-ray when kidney size was of interest. Drip infusion urography was used when extravasa tion of urine (urinary fistula) was suspected, and arteriography was performed to exclude arterial stenosis or thrombosis.