Bone Scan Question

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AndyE
AndyE Member Posts: 51
in Kidney Cancer #1

I had a nuclear bone scan the other day, and thankfully the scan did not indicate any mets in my bones at all.  One concern that was brought to my attention was the fact that my "good" kidney and my bladder were both lit up like a Christmas tree on the scan, as the radioactive material was being filtered out of my blood...that is normal. The kidney on which the partical nephrectomy was performed three months ago, however, was dark..no evidence of the radioactive material in that kidney at all.  The doctor that read the scan said that it appeared that this kidney was not functioning at the level of (or at all) the other one. He is not a urologist, so kidneys aren't his specialty, so I have a call in to my urologist to ask him about this, but I haven't heard back yet.  Does anyone know anything about this scenario or whether this is a normal occurance only 3 months out of surgery?   

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  • Positive_Mental_Attitude
    Positive_Mental_Attitude Member Posts: 454
    #2
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    I can't address your kidney

    I can't address your kidney not "lighting up" on the scan.  But 6 months after my partial nephrectomy, where 5% of my right kidney was removed with the tumor, I had a nuclear medicine scan of my kidney function with the following results:  RELATIVE CONTRIBUTION OF EACH KIDNEY TO OVERALL RENAL FUNCTION: Left kidney: 62% previously 49% Right kidney: 38% previously 51%.

    I inquired with my doctor if this was normal, and they said: 
    this just indicates that prior to your surgery both kidneys were functioning equally and after the partial nephrectomy the left kidney is functioning more than the right which is to be expected since part of the right kidney has been removed.

  • icemantoo
    icemantoo Member Posts: 3,361 Member
    #3
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    See a Nephrologist

    AndyE,

     

    I don't have an answer to your question, but if the cocern is Kidney function, a Nephrologist kows a lot more than a Urologist.

     

     

    Icemantoo

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