Tc-99m DTPA renal imaging was performed on a 62-year-old man because of suspected renal embolus. The patient was treated recently for endocarditis and had sudden, severe right flank pain that gradually subsided over the last 10 days. The images showed normal perfusion and function of the left kidney. Only what appeared to be the lower pole of the right kidney could be seen in the delayed images. A supine image showed the normally appearing collecting systems of both kidneys. The clue that alerted us to look for a ldquo;floating kidneyrdquo; was the pattern of the collecting system, which seemed to be in the transverse position rather than in the normal vertical position. The appearance of the images was similar to that of another patient with a documented floating kidney. In both cases the kidney tilted forward and down with only part of the kidney facing the camera. This possibility should be considered in cases when part of the kidney is not visualized, and it is of extreme importance when calculating the relative function of the kidneys.
展开▼
