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Biomedical subjects

H R Ham

Publications and source records attributed to H R Ham.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Evolution of single kidney glomerular filtration rate in urinary tract infection.

The aim of this study was to evaluate renal function during the acute phase of symptomatic urinary tract infection and the changes observed several months later. Overall glomerular filtration rate (GFR) as well as single kidney GFR (SKGFR) were calculated using the combination of a left/right uptake ratio obtained from technetium 99m-dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA) scintigraphy and 51chromium-EDTA plasma clearance. Forty-four patients with obvious unilateral or bilateral DMSA abnormalities were studied. In patients with unilateral lesions, both the overall GFR and the SKGFR were significantly higher during the acute phase of infection than several months later, on the abnormal side as well as the normal side. The relative percentage uptake was lower on the abnormal side than the normal side, obviously due to loss of functional parenchyma. This percentage increased significantly during the recovery phase, reflecting the total or partial healing of the renal lesions, despite the decrease of the corresponding SKGFR. However, during both the acute and the recovery phase, the relative percentage uptake of the abnormal kidney was in the normal range and often close to 50%. In patients with bilateral lesions, no significant changes were observed between the acute phase and the recovery phase.

Adolescent

Overall and single-kidney clearance in children with urinary tract infection and damaged kidneys.

UNLABELLED: The overall and single-kidney clearance in children with acute urinary tract infection was investigated retrospectively using the combination of the relative 99mTc-dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA) uptake and the 51Cr-ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid clearance. METHODS: There were 180 patients with both normal kidneys, 56 with clear unilateral abnormalities on DMSA scintigraphy and 11 with two abnormal kidneys. Half of the patients were younger than 2 y, and because of the progressive maturation of the renal function, they were not considered in the analysis of the absolute overall and single-kidney clearance; nevertheless, they were included in the analysis of the relative DMSA percentage uptake. RESULTS: When only one kidney was affected on DMSA scintigraphy, the clearance of the affected kidney was lower than on the normal side and often abnormally low. In these unilaterally affected kidneys, contralateral compensation mechanisms tended to occur, resulting in preservation of overall clearance. This compensation was probably not present only on the contralateral side. On the abnormal side, the clearance was normal in about half of the cases, probably because of intrarenal compensation occurring in regions not damaged by the infection. In addition to these compensation mechanisms, hyperfiltration was probably present in many cases of acute urinary tract infection with intact or unilaterally damaged kidneys.

Acute Disease

How good is the slope of the second exponential for estimating 51Cr-EDTA renal clearance?

The aim of this study was to test the reproducibility of the second exponential of the plasma disappearance curve of 51Cr-EDTA and to compare it with the single slope-intercept method. The test was performed twice among 24 young healthy volunteers at an interval of 8 days and under similar physiological conditions. After the intravenous injection of 3.7 MBq of 51Cr-EDTA, four blood samples were taken between 1.5 and 4 h and combinations of two, three or all four of these were used to calculate the slope of the plasma clearance curve. The clearances rates were calculated using these slopes and the corresponding intercepts of the slopes with the y-axis. The standard deviation of the differences between the first and the second measurements was between 8 and 10% for the different clearance estimates, and between 11 and 17% for the different slope estimates, reflecting the wider variability of the slope estimate. Using the first series of measurements, the change of timing for blood sampling introduced a wider variability for the slope estimate than for the clearance estimate.

Adult

Oesophageal motility disorders in patients with psychiatric disease.

Clinical and experimental observations indicate that the motility of the oesophagus may be affected by emotional stimuli. The aim of this study was to evaluate the incidence of oesophageal contractility impairment in patients suffering from a psychiatric disorder. Fifty-one patients admitted to the psychiatric department were submitted to an oesophageal transit study by means of krypton-81m. All patients with an abnormal oesophageal transit underwent manometry and endoscopy. The level of depression and anxiety was evaluated by the treating psychiatrist, using the Hamilton Depression and Anxiety Rating Scales. The oesophageal transit was abnormal in 13 patients. Two of these 13 patients refused manometric investigation. In ten of the 11 remaining patients, the manometry revealed functional motor abnormalities. Endoscopy, performed in all these ten patients, was normal. In conclusion, a high percentage of oesophageal contractility disturbances was found in psychiatric patients complaining of anxiety and/or depression. These abnormalities were detected by scintigraphy as well as by manometry. Owing to the normal endoscopic findings, these contraction abnormalities are likely to reflect a functional motor impairment.

Anxiety

Reproducibility of technetium-99m mercaptoacetyltriglycine clearance.

The aim of this paper was to determine the reproducibility (precision) of technetium-99m mercaptoacetyltriglycine (MAG3) clearance and to compare it with that of chromium-51 ethylenediamine tetra-acetic acid (EDTA). Twelve young volunteers (aged between 21 and 34 years), without any history of medical problems, were enrolled in this study. The test was performed twice, at an interval of 8 days and under similar physiological conditions. After the intravenous injection of both tracers, 15 blood samples were taken between 3 and 240 min. A biexponential fit was adapted to the plasma disappearance curves (5- to 120-min samples for 99mTc-MAG3 and 10- to 240-min samples for 51Cr-EDTA); the clearances were calculated according to Sapirstein and corrected for body surface area. The mean clearance values were 110 (range 85-130) and 226 (range 109-319)ml/min/1.73 m2, respectively, for 51Cr-EDTA and 99mTc-MAG3. For 51Cr-EDTA clearance, the mean difference between the first and the second measurement was -2.1% of the mean of the two successive values (SD: 8.4%). In ten cases, the difference was less than 12%; in two cases, the differences were 15% and 18%, respectively. For 99mTc-MAG3 clearance, the mean difference between the first and the second measurement was -20% of the mean of the two successive values (SD: 25%). In six cases, the difference was less than 12%; in four cases, between 15% and 40%; and in two cases, more than 60%. Methodological factors (impurities contained in the commercial kit, variable protein binding) as well as physiological factors (pH of urine, sodium load, stress) may explain the lack of precision of the 99mTc-MAG3 clearance. It is concluded that changes in 99mTc-MAG3 plasma clearance should be interpreted with care in daily routine.

Adult

The robustness of the Patlak-Rutland slope for the determination of split renal function.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the variability of the Patlak-Rutland slope as applied to the renal clearance method. We analysed the 99Tcm-mercaptoacetyltriglycine renograms of 17 non-selected patients (both children and adults, number of kidneys = 34) with a single kidney glomerular filtration rate of 6-73 ml min-1 1.73 m-2. the acquisition time for the renograms was 20 min with a frame duration of 20 s. First, correction for background activity was introduced using the perirenal area and the size ratio between the kidney and the perirenal area. The Patlak plot was then applied. The first two points were systematically rejected and a series of linear fits calculated from the experimental points, starting from the third point (i.e. 1 min). The final point of the fit never exceeded the time of the peak of the renogram minus one minute (Tmax - 1) and was always less than 5 min. Although simple visual inspection of the slopes would suggest that the experimental points were distributed accurately along a straight line, it appeared that the slope was strongly dependent on the number of points used for the determination of the fit. As a second step, we restricted the number of points for fitting to the time interval between 1 min and 2 min 40 s. This procedure appeared to show that the Patlak methodology is reliable, giving rise to only small variations in slope, depending on the number of points chosen. However, even in this narrow time interval, significant errors can be made, either because of the very early escape of the radionuclide or because of statistical noise (e.g. in renal failure the signal-to-noise ratio is unfavourable). Therefore, it is advisable, when using this methodology, to restrict the fitting procedure to the second minute of the study and to check visually that this fixed time interval gives rise to a slope that is well adapted to the Patlak plot.

Adult

Reproducibility of simplified techniques for the measurement of 51Cr-EDTA clearance.

The aim of this study was to assess the reproducibility of a number of simplified clearance methods using chromium-51 ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid (51Cr-EDTA) and to compare these with the multiple blood sample technique. Twenty-four healthy volunteers were enrolled into the study. The test was performed twice, 1 week apart and under similar physiological conditions. After intravenous injection of the tracer, 13 blood samples were taken between 5 and 240 min. The reference clearance was calculated after adapting a bi-exponential fit on the whole plasma disappearance curve. Simplified methods included the slope intercept method using different combinations of blood samples (2 and 4 h; 2, 3 and 4 h; 1.5, 2, 3 and 4 h; 1.5, 2 and 3 h) and several single clearance methods (Constable 3 h; Groth 3 h; Groth 4 h). The standard deviation of the differences between the first and second measurements were similar for all methods, confirming the comparable reproducibility of these methods.

Chromium Radioisotopes

Overall accuracy of technetium-99m-MAG3 clearance measurements obtained with a gamma camera heart curve.

UNLABELLED: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the accuracy of 99mTc-MAG3 clearance measurements using a precordial gamma camera curve calibrated by a single plasma sample. METHODS: Technetium-99m-MAG3 was administered to ten young normal volunteers. A 60-min gamma camera acquisition was performed. Five different segments of the gamma camera curve were determined: 3 min to 20 min, 3 min to 30 min, 3 min to 40 min, 3 min to 50 min and 3 min to 60 min. A biexponential function was fitted on each of these five different segments, which were thereafter calibrated using eight different blood samples. These blood samples were successively used for calibration at 5, 10, 15, 20, 30, 40, 50 and 60 min. The single injection, multiple plasma sample method was used as reference. RESULTS: Camera clearances varied markedly based on the length of the precordial curve and on the time of the calibration sample. Different regression equations were obtained for each duration of the camera curve, and for each blood sample timing. Correlation coefficients were > 0.95 in most cases recording period of at least 50 min, however, was necessary to obtain a s.e.e. better than those obtained using a single blood sample method without gamma camera curve. CONCLUSION: The 99mTc-MAG3 clearance determination using a gamma camera heart curve calibrated with a single blood sample does not necessarily improve the accuracy of the one blood sample method.

Adult

Feasibility of estimating glomerular filtration rate in children using single-sample adult technique.

UNLABELLED: This work was undertaken to verify whether a single-sample adult technique, when applied using body surface-corrected plasma concentration, can be used in place of specific pediatric method to estimate 51Cr-EDTA renal clearance in children. METHODS: In a series of 90 children (aged 0.1 to 15 yr). 51Cr-EDTA renal clearance was calculated using for different approaches. The first approach used specific pediatric single-sample methods; three techniques were chosen and they all used 120-min plasma concentration. The second approach used the same three specific pediatric methods, but they were applied using 120-min plasma concentration prescaled for 1.73 m2 body surface area. The third approach used single-sample methods designed for adults; three methods were again chosen. They all used 240-min plasma concentration. The fourth approach used the same adults algorithms, but they were applied using 240-min plasma concentration prescaled for 1.73 m2 body surface area. RESULTS: Clearances calculated using the three specific pediatric methods were all closely cross-correlated regardless of whether or not the plasma concentration was prescaled. The use of classical adult methods produced in some cases obviously erroneous clearance values. Improvements were observed when the same adult methods were applied using prescaled plasma concentration. Nonetheless, the clearance values obtained only fairly correlated with those obtained using specific pediatric methods. CONCLUSION: The single-sample adult technique using plasma concentration prescaled for 1.73 m2 body surface area cannot be used in place of a specific pediatric single-sample method to estimate 51Cr-EDTA renal clearance in children.

Adolescent