title: Noninvasive monitoring of mouse renal allograft rejection using micro-CT.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Acute renal graft rejection can only be definitively diagnosed by renal biopsy. However, biopsies carry a risk of renal transplant injury and loss. Micro-CT is widely used in preclinical studies of small animals. Here, we propose micro-CT could noninvasively monitor and evaluate renal location and function in a mouse kidney transplant model.
  
  
  METHODS
  Orthotopic kidney transplantation was performed in a BALB/c -to- C57BL/6j or C57BL/6j-to- C57BL/6j mouse model. After optimizing imaging techniques, five mice were imaged with micro-CT and the findings were verified histologically.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Micro-CT can monitor and evaluate renal location and function after orthotopic kidney transplantation. There were no mice deaths while renal transplants were failure.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We propose that graft micro-CT imaging is a new option that is noninvasive and specific, and can aid in early detection and follow-up of acute renal rejection. This method is potentially useful to improve posttransplant rejection monitoring.
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China. ; Division of Transplantation Immunology, National Research Institute for Child Health and Development, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Jiangang
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hou
authors.affiliation: Division of Transplantation Immunology, National Research Institute for Child Health and Development, Tokyo, Japan. ; AIDS Research Center, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Masayuki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fujino
authors.affiliation: Division of Transplantation Immunology, National Research Institute for Child Health and Development, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Songjie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cai
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Qiang
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Ding
authors.affiliation: Division of Transplantation Immunology, National Research Institute for Child Health and Development, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Xiao-Kang
authors.initials: XK
authors.lastname: Li
keywords: Kidney transplant; Micro-CT; Noninvasive monitoring