Reproducibility of MRI renal artery blood flow and BOLD measurements in patients with chronic kidney disease and healthy controls.
OBJECTIVE
Determine the reproducibility of renal artery blood flow (RABF) and blood-oxygenation level dependent (R2 *) in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and healthy controls.


METHODS
RABF and R2 * were measured in 11 CKD patients and 9 controls twice with 1- to 2-week interval. R2 * in the cortex and medulla were determined after breathing atmospheric air and 100% oxygen. Reproducibility was evaluated by coefficients of variation (CV), limits of agreements and intra-class coefficient calculated by variance components by maximum likelihood modeling.


RESULTS
Single-kidney RABF (mL/min) for patients was: 170 ± 130 and 186 ± 137, and for controls: 365 ± 119 and 361 ± 107 (P < 0.05 versus patients), for first and second scans, respectively. RABF measurements were reproducible with a CV of 12.9% and 8.3% for patients and controls, respectively. Renal cortical R2 * was: 13.6 ± 0.9 and 13.5 ± 1.2 in patients (CV = 8.0%), and 13.8 ± 1.6 and 14.0 ± 1.5 in controls (CV = 5.6%), while medullary R2 *(s(-1) ) was: 26.9 ± 2.0 and 27.0 ± 4.0 (CV = 8.0%) in patients, and 26.0 ± 2.4 and 26.1 ± 2.1 (CV = 3.6%) in controls, for first and second scans, respectively. In both groups R2 * in medulla decreased after breathing 100% oxygen.


CONCLUSIONS
The reproducibility was high for both RABF and R2 * in patients and controls, particularly in the cortex. Inhalation of 100% oxygen reduced medullary R2 *.
Department of Renal Medicine, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark.
Dinah S
DS
Khatir
Michael
M
Pedersen
Bente
B
Jespersen
Niels H
NH
Buus
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001783:Blood Flow Velocity / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D005919:Glomerular Filtration Rate / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007089:Image Enhancement; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted; D007676:Kidney Failure, Chronic / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D018810:Magnetic Resonance Angiography / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010100:Oxygen / Q000097:blood*; D012077:Renal Artery / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results
D010100:Oxygen
blood oxygenation level dependent MRI; kidney; renal artery blood flow; reproducibility