Background/Objectives: This prospective study aimed to assess residual cortical function at follow-up in patients with traumatic renal injuries using Tc-99m dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA) single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and evaluate clinical factors associated with residual cortical function. Methods: A total of 59 patients with renal injury who were treated non-operatively and underwent Tc-99m DMSA SPECT at the follow-up (3 months ± 1 year) were enrolled. The correlation between residual cortical function and renal injury grades, alongside other clinical factors, was analysed. Results: The mean age of the patients was 49.10 ± 22.67 years, and 35 (59.3%) were male. In total, 28 patients (47.5%) had high-grade injuries, and 20 (33.9%) underwent a renal artery endovascular procedure (RAE). High-grade renal injury correlated with laboratory renal function and DMSA scintigraphic parameters, especially SPECT split renal function (SRF) (ρ = −0.565; p < 0.001); meanwhile, a significant decrease existed in DMSA scintigraphic parameters in patients with high-grade injuries. Furthermore, laboratory renal function and DMSA scintigraphic parameters were significantly decreased in patients who underwent RAE. The multivariable analysis highlighted that high grade renal injury (odds ratio OR, 9.50; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.78–50.61; p = 0.008) and RAE (OR, 5.15; 95% CI, 1.07–24.88; p = 0.041) were significant factors associated with decreased residual cortical function. Conclusions: Tc-99m DMSA SPECT provides accurate information on the residual cortical function at follow-up in patients with renal injuries. Additionally, high-grade renal injury and RAE were associated with decreased residual cortical function.
Yu et al. (Fri,) studied this question.