Renal Function Assessment in Domestic Shorthair Cats Using Scintigraphy

Scintigraphy, also known as a gamma scan, is a diagnostic imaging procedure utilized in the field of nuclear medicine. This procedure involves the use of radioisotopes attached to drugs, which serve as tracers. These tracers facilitate the creation of images that reveal the anatomical composition of the patient's internal organs and tissues. Scintigraphy provides distinctive insights into renal function, thereby complementing anatomical details obtained from magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography scans. Its clinical applications include the assessment of anomalies, infections, and the evaluation of kidney function. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of scintigraphy technique in assessing kidney function in cats. To obtain scintigraphy information, six adult healthy male cats were selected. The cats were anesthetized, and a dose of 4 millicuries of the radiopharmaceutical 99mTc-DTPA was injected into the saphenous vein of the animal simultaneously with the start of the scan. The emitted radiation was recorded by the camera for 30 minutes. The results obtained revealed that the total glomerular filtration rate was 125.66 ± 5.03 mL/min, with exclusive glomerular filtration rates for the left and right kidneys being 51.27 ± 2.29 and 48.78 ± 2.75 mL/min, respectively. The peak activity times were recorded as 4.4 ± 0.43 and 4.6 ± 0.12 minutes for the left and right kidneys, respectively. The results obtained from this study are within the normal range, which show the reliability of scintigraphy as a non-invasive, rapid, and accurate tool for evaluating renal indices in veterinary medicine.