title: Renal perfusion in acute kidney injury with DCE-MRI: deconvolution analysis versus two-compartment filtration model.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the results of different pharmacokinetic models of a quantitative analysis of renal blood flow (RBF) in acute kidney injury using deconvolution analysis and a two-compartment renal filtration model.
  
  
  METHODS
  MRI data of ten male Lewis rats were analyzed retrospectively. Six animals were subjected to unilateral acute kidney injury and underwent perfusion imaging by dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI). Renal blood flow was estimated from regions-of-interest depicting the cortex in the DCE-MRI perfusion maps. The perfusion models were compared by a paired t-test and Bland-Altman plots.
  
  
  RESULTS
  No significant difference was found between the two compartment model and the deconvolution analysis (P=0.2807). Differences between healthy and diseased kidney in the AKI model were significant for both methods (P<0.05). A Bland-Altman plot showed no systematic errors, and values were equally distributed around the mean difference between the methods lying within the range of 1.96 standard deviations.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Both quantification strategies could detect the kidneys that were impaired by AKI. When just aiming at RBF as a marker, a deconvolution analysis can provide similar values as the 2CFM. If functional parameters beyond RBF like glomerular filtration rate are needed, the 2CFM should be employed.
authors.affiliation: Computer Assisted Clinical Medicine, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany. Electronic address: frank.zoellner@medma.uni-heidelberg.de.
authors.forename: Frank G
authors.initials: FG
authors.lastname: Zöllner
authors.affiliation: Computer Assisted Clinical Medicine, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany.
authors.forename: Fabian
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Zimmer
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine V, University Medical Centre Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany.
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Klotz
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine V, University Medical Centre Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany.
authors.forename: Simone
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hoeger
authors.affiliation: Computer Assisted Clinical Medicine, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany.
authors.forename: Lothar R
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: Schad
mesh_terms: D058186:Acute Kidney Injury / Q000503:physiopathology*; D000818:Animals; D005919:Glomerular Filtration Rate / Q000502:physiology; D007089:Image Enhancement / Q000379:methods*; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D011917:Rats, Inbred Lew; D012079:Renal Circulation / Q000502:physiology; D012189:Retrospective Studies
keywords: Acute kidney injury; Comparison; DCE-MRI; Quantification; Renal blood flow