Cost effectiveness and accuracy of renal scans in the management of patients undergoing renal transplantation.

Following renal allograft transplantation, renal scans are frequently performed to evaluate anatomical and functional causes for allograft dysfunction. In our retrospective study of 20 patients, renal scans were found to be more expensive compared to renal biopsies $68,688 vs $7,421, and, in only one patient was aggressive anti-rejection therapy instituted based solely on the renal scan results. The 95% confidence interval for the proportion of correct diagnosis by renal scan was 0.16 to 0.62.