title: Feasibility of applying ultrasound strain imaging to detect renal transplant chronic allograft nephropathy.
abstract: Chronic renal transplantation fibrosis, often termed Chronic Allograft Nephropathy, may progress undetected. Since renal fibrosis may be accompanied by a change in measurable elastic tissue properties, ultrasound strain management may be useful in it detection. Ultrasound strain imaging was performed for two subjects with renal transplants; one with normal renal function and one with mild renal insufficiency and biopsy demonstrated fibrosis. Subjects underwent ultrasound examination with application of a controlled deformation using phase-sensitive, two-dimensional speckle tracking to evaluate internal tissue motion to measure tissue displacement and strain. Measurements over multiple beams for an equivalent deformational stress showed there was a threefold difference in renal cortical strain between the two subjects. These data suggest that ultrasound elasticity imaging may prove useful in measuring mechanical changes related to fibrosis with the transplant kidney.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA. weitzel@umich.edu
authors.forename: William F
authors.initials: WF
authors.lastname: Weitzel
authors.forename: Kang
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Jonathan M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Rubin
authors.forename: Roger C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Wiggins
authors.forename: Hua
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Xie
authors.forename: Xunchang
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Stanislav Y
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Emelianov
authors.forename: Matthew
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: O'Donnell
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002908:Chronic Disease; D004548:Elasticity; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D006084:Graft Rejection / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006085:Graft Survival; D006801:Humans; D007672:Kidney Cortex / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology; D007674:Kidney Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000601:surgery; D016030:Kidney Transplantation; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D013314:Stress, Mechanical; D014184:Transplantation, Homologous; D014463:Ultrasonography