title: MR in renal disease: importance of cortical-medullary distinction.
abstract: The diagnostic value of MR contrast between renal cortex and medulla (CMC) as an indicator of renal disease was retrospectively studied in 51 patients (9 patients with obstructive disease, 7 with inflammatory disease, 12 with various noninfectious parenchymal medical disease, 5 with vascular disease, 2 with diffuse neoplastic disease, 7 with hemosiderosis, and 10 with renal trauma [blunt trauma and 9 postlithotripsy]). Additionally, normal kidneys from 20 control subjects were studied. On T1-weighted spin-echo images (SE 500/30), CMC was visible in all the normal kidneys (19% contrast +/- 2% SD). A decrease in or an absence of CMC on T1-weighted images (SE 500/28) was found to be a sensitive but nonspecific sign in most of the renal diseases studied. CMC was visibly preserved at normal levels in 7 of the 9 kidneys traumatized by lithotripsy and in all 4 kidneys with acute renal obstruction; CMC was above normal in kidneys with hemosiderosis. In conclusion, alteration in CMC is a sensitive but nonspecific indicator of renal disease. Furthermore, normal CMC can be seen in the presence of renal pathology.
authors: Department of Radiology, University of California School of Medicine, San Francisco 94143-0628.
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Marotti
authors: H
authors: H
authors: Hricak
authors: F
authors: F
authors: Terrier
authors: J W
authors: JW
authors: McAninch
authors: J W
authors: JW
authors: Thuroff
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006486:Hemosiderosis / Q000175:diagnosis; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007668:Kidney / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000293:injuries; D007672:Kidney Cortex / Q000473:pathology*; D007674:Kidney Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis*; D007679:Kidney Medulla / Q000473:pathology*; D007680:Kidney Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009393:Nephritis / Q000175:diagnosis