The full form of DTPA is Diethylenetriamine pentaacetate. It is a medicine that can bind to radioactive plutonium, americium, and curium to decrease the amount of time it takes to get these radioactive substances out of the body . In the context of medical imaging, a DTPA scan refers to a Renal DTPA scan, which is a nuclear medicine test used to measure the function of the kidneys.