Computed Tomography Renal Volumetry Better Predicts Postoperative Donor Renal Function in Live Kidney Donor Transplantation than Renal Scintigraphy: A Comparative Study

Abstract

Introduction and objectives: Both computed tomography (CT) and renal scintigraphy (RS) have been used to assess vascular anatomy, renal status, and split renal function (SRF). In this study, we used a recently developed software that facilitates renal volumetric evaluations to compare RS and automated CT volumetry for assessing residual renal function, and thus estimating postoperative renal function after donor nephrectomy. Methods: Fifty-one cases of donor nephrectomy were analyzed. Residual renal function was estimated based on RS and CT volumetry. The correlation between the postoperative estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and expected SRF, measured using RS and three types of CT volumetry data (ellipsoid, thin-slice, and 5-mm slice data), was determined. Results: The correlation coefficient between actual eGFR and expected SRF were significantly associated at each time point and modality (p<0.0001). At any time point, the difference in correlation coefficient between RS and 5-mm volumetry was significant (p-value: 0.003-0.018), whereas the differences in correlation coefficients between RS and the tri-axial volume calculation, and the tri-axial volume calculation and 5-mm volumetry, were generally statistically insignificant. Conclusions: Expected SRF was estimated more accurately by CT volumetric calculations (especially 5-mm-slice-based volumetry) than RS.