Recent studies have suggested that 99Tcm-labelled mercaptoacetyltriglycine (99Tcm-MAG3) is a potential replacement for 131I-orthoiodohippurate (131I-OIH). The two radiopharmaceuticals were studied in 19 patients with varying degrees of renal impairment, for comparison of effective renal plasma flow (ERPF). All patients were injected i.v. with 2-3 mCi 99Tcm-MAG3 and 250-300 microCi of 131I-OIH simultaneously in separate arms to avoid any chemical incompatibility. Serial digital images were acquired simultaneously for 99Tcm-MAG3 and 131I-OIH at 15 s per frame for 30 min. The renogram curve was generated and ERPF value was calculated for each kidney using both radiopharmaceuticals and applying the same computer program (Schlegel's program). In all cases, the 99Tcm-MAG3 and 131I-OIH renogram curves were quite similar. The values of ERPF of 99Tcm-MAG3 were not significantly different from those of 131I-OIH studies (paired t test, p less than 0.01). The correlation coefficient between the two methods was 0.95 (p less than 0.001) with a linear regression equation Y = -12.96 + 0.995X, where Y = ERPF determined by 131I-OIH and X = ERPF determined by 99Tcm-MAG3. This study indicates that 99Tcm-MAG3 is a useful 99Tcm replacement for 131I-OIH in the determination of ERPF and generation of renogram curves.