THE DETERMINATION OF DUAL PANCREATIC AND RENAL-TRANSPLANT GRAFT VASCULAR PATENCY WITH TC-99M HMPAO

Combined pancreatic-renal transplants promise the restoration of physi ologic control of serum glucose and normal renal function. As pancreat ic transplantation becomes more common, there is an increased need for rapid, noninvasive evaluation of vascular graft patency and function. Pancreatic transplants share the renal transplant's complications of ischemia at harvest but are at greater risk. Tc-99m HMPAO is a lipophi lic complex that clears rapidly from the blood after intravenous injec tion, and tissue accumulation is proportional to regional perfusion. U sing Tc-99m HMPAO to monitor the vascular competency has the advantage of a high count rate during dynamic scintigrams but, in contrast to T c-99m DTPA, has excellent delayed static images. Four patients who rec eived combined cadaveric pancreatic-renal transplants and had a total of eight Tc-99m HMPAO scintigraphic examinations were reviewed.