Reliability of rubidium-82 PET/CT for renal perfusion determination in healthy subjects.

Background: Changes in renal perfusion may play a pathophysiological role in hypertension and kidney disease, however to date, no method for renal blood flow (RBF) determination in humans has been implemented in clinical practice. In a previous study, we demonstrated that estimation of renal perfusion based on a single positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) scan with Rubidium-82 (Rb) is feasible and found an approximate 5% intra-assay coefficient of variation for both kidneys, indicative of a precise method.This study's aim was to determine the day-to day variation of Rb PET/CT and to test the method's ability to detect increased RBF induced by infusion of amino acids.

Estimation of renal perfusion based on measurement of rubidium-82 clearance by PET/CT scanning in healthy subjects.

Background: Changes in renal blood flow (RBF) may play a pathophysiological role in hypertension and kidney disease. However, RBF determination in humans has proven difficult. We aimed to confirm the feasibility of RBF estimation based on positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) and rubidium-82 (Rb) using the abdominal aorta as input function in a 1-tissue compartment model.