Kidney and RTx Imaging, Radionuclide, Doppler US, Sizing, Intrarenal Resistive Index, Renal Volume and Elastography

BACKGROUND: Multiparametric renal Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) provides a non-invasive method to assess kidney structure and function, but longitudinal studies are limited. METHODS: A total of 22 patients with CKD category G3-4 (estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) 15-59 mL/min/1.73 m2 ) were recruited. Annual 3T multiparametric renal MRI scans were performed, comprising total kidney volume (TKV), longitudinal relaxation time (T1 ), apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), Arterial Spin Labelling, and Blood Oxygen Level Dependent relaxation time (T2 *), with 15 patients completing a Year 2 scan...

BACKGROUND: The standard method for assessing chronic renal damage is renal biopsy, which has limitations due to its invasiveness. Ultrasound elastography is a non-invasive technique that quantifies tissue elasticity and can be used to determine Young's modulus (YM). Although this breakthrough technology has been successfully employed to evaluate liver stiffness and the extent of fibrosis, its application in kidney-related conditions still needs improvement. METHODS: Our study aimed to verify the correlation between renal elastography and the chronic histological score determined via renal biopsy, evaluate the correlation between elastography and response to treatment in the short-term follow-up (6 months), and compare elastography data between renal disease patients (AKD-P) and healthy controls (HP)...

BACKGROUND: Organ measurements derived from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) have the potential to enhance our understanding of the precise phenotypic variations underlying many clinical conditions. METHODS: We applied morphometric methods to study the kidneys by constructing surface meshes from kidney segmentations from abdominal MRI data in 38,868 participants in the UK Biobank. Using mesh-based analysis techniques based on statistical parametric maps (SPMs), we were able to detect variations in specific regions of the kidney and associate those with anthropometric traits as well as disease states including chronic kidney disease (CKD), type-2 diabetes (T2D), and hypertension...

Renal pathologies often manifest as alterations in kidney size, providing a valuable avenue for employing dynamic parametric MRI as a means to derive kidney size measurements for the diagnosis, treatment, and monitoring of renal disease. Furthermore, this approach holds significant potential in supporting MRI data-driven preclinical investigations into the intricate mechanisms underlying renal pathophysiology. The integration of deep learning algorithms is crucial in achieving rapid and precise segmentation of the kidney from temporally resolved parametric MRI, facilitating the use of kidney size as a meaningful (pre)clinical biomarker for renal disease...

BACKGROUND: Split kidney function (SKF) is critical for treatment decision in pediatric patients with hydronephrosis and is commonly measured using renal scintigraphy (RS). Non-contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance urography (NCE-MRU) is increasingly used in clinical practice. This study aimed to investigate the feasibility of using NCE-MRU as an alternative to estimate SKF in pediatric patients with hydronephrosis, compared to RS. METHODS: Seventy-five pediatric patients with hydronephrosis were included in this retrospective study...

BACKGROUND: Renal resistive indices (RRI) have been shown to predict the progression of kidney disease. This study aims to evaluate the association of RRI with mortality and dialysis initiation after adjustment to therapeutic and life style interventions. METHODS: This is a retrospective study that included all chronic kidney disease patients followed for at least two years in three nephrology clinics between 2006 and 2019 and who had a RRI level in their files...

BACKGROUND: For decades, description of renal function has been of interest to clinicians and researchers. Serum creatinine (Scr) and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) are familiar but also limited in many circumstances. Meanwhile, the physiological volumes of the kidney cortex and medulla are presumed to change with age and have been proven to change with decreasing kidney function. METHODS: We recruited 182 patients with normal Scr levels between October 2021 and February 2022 in Peking Union Medical College Hospital (PUMCH) with demographic and clinical data...

BACKGROUND: This study compared a novel technique for renal allograft biopsy, color Doppler ultrasound-guided biopsy (CDUS-Bx), with routine ultrasound-guided biopsy (RUS-Bx). METHODS: A retrospective review was conducted on 111 patients, with 42 undergoing CDUS-Bx and 69 undergoing RUS-Bx. Urologists used an 18-gauge automatic spring-loaded biopsy needle for all procedures. CDUS-Bx tissue collection was guided by identifying renal vessels with color Doppler mode...

BACKGROUND: This study was designed to investigate the relationship between the renal resistive index (RRI), renal microvessel density (RMD), and fibrosis in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). METHODS: A total of 73 CKD patients were included in the study. Prior to kidney biopsy, we recorded the RRI of the interlobar artery and the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR). Immunohistochemical analysis was performed to assess CD34 expression, and Masson staining was used to evaluate histopathological specimens for RMD and the degree of fibrosis...

BACKGROUND: To study the value of shear wave elasticity and shear wave dispersion imaging to evaluate the viscoelasticity of renal parenchyma in children with glomerular diseases. METHODS: Forty-three children with glomerular diseases were prospectively evaluated by shear wave elasticity (SWE) and shear wave dispersion imaging (SWD); 43 healthy volunteers served as the control group. The shear wave velocities (SWV) and the dispersion slopes were measured at the upper, middle, and lower poles of both kidneys...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

BACKGROUND: If chronic allograft nephropathy can be detected early and treated, the long-term survival rate of the transplanted kidney may be effectively improved. PURPOSE: To compare the application value of real-time sound touch elastography (STE), strain elastography, and color Doppler flow imaging in evaluating chronic kidney disease of transplanted kidneys. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 101 patients with renal transplantation were divided into a normal group (serum creatinine <134 mol/L, 58 patients) and a chronic allograft nephropathy group after renal transplantation over 6 months (serum creatinine >134 mol/L, 43 patients)...

BACKGROUND: Current guidelines note a gap in high-quality evidence regarding utility of kidney ultrasonography (KUS) during initial evaluation of nephrotic syndrome (NS) due to presumed minimal change disease (pMCD). However, KUS is frequently obtained at our institution. This retrospective chart review assessed incidence and impact of abnormal sonographic findings in these patients. METHODS: Patients 1-18 years, newly diagnosed at our institution with NS from pMCD between 2011 and 2021, were identified...

BACKGROUND: Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) presents with variable disease severity and progression. Advanced imaging biomarkers may provide insights into cystic and non-cystic processes leading to kidney failure in different age groups. METHODS: This pilot study included 39 ADPKD patients with kidney failure, stratified into three age groups (<46, 46-56, >56 years old). Advanced imaging biomarkers were assessed using an automated instance cyst segmentation tool...

RATIONALE & OBJECTIVE: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) leads to lipid and metabolic abnormalities, but a comprehensive investigation of lipids, lipoprotein particles, and circulating metabolites associated with the risk of CKD is lacking. We examined the associations of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)-based metabolomics data with CKD risk in the UK Biobank study. STUDY DESIGN: Observational cohort study. SETTING: & Participants: A total of 91,532 participants in the UK Biobank Study without CKD and not receiving lipid-lowering therapy...

BACKGROUND: Given the central importance of cardiorenal interactions, mechanistic tools for evaluating cardiorenal physiology are needed. In the heart and kidneys, shared pathways of neurohormonal activation, hypertension, and vascular and interstitial fibrosis implicate the relevance of systemic vascular health. The availability of a long axial field of view positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) system enables simultaneous evaluation of cardiac and renal blood flow...

Thanks to technical advances in the field of medical imaging, it is now possible to study key features of renal anatomy and physiology, but so far poorly explored due to the inherent difficulties in studying both the metabolism and vasculature of the human kidney. In this narrative review, we provide an overview of recent research findings on renal perfusion, oxygenation, and substrate uptake. Most studies evaluating renal perfusion with positron emission tomography (PET) have been performed in healthy controls, and specific target populations like obese individuals or patients with renovascular disease and chronic kidney disease (CKD) have rarely been assessed...

BACKGROUND: Microvascular structural alteration and dysfunction is a hallmark of arterial hypertension. So far, the visualization and the quantification of renal microcirculation in humans has been hampered by the lack of non-nephrotoxic and non-invasive radiologic techniques. Contrast-Enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS) is an alluring method to investigate renal microcirculation and has not been investigated in this setting. We aimed to compare renal microcirculation in normotensives (NT) and hypertensive (HT) participants using CEUS at rest and during a sympathetic stress test...

INTRODUCTION: The tissue stiffness of donor kidneys in transplantation may increase due to pathological changes such as glomerulosclerosis and interstitial fibrosis, and those changes associate worse outcomes in kidney transplantation recipients. Ultrasound elastography is a noninvasive imaging examination with the ability to quantitatively reflect tissue stiffness. Aim of this study was to evaluate the prognostic value of ultrasound elastography for adverse kidney outcome in kidney transplantation recipients...