title: Shear wave elastography in chronic kidney disease: a pilot experience in native kidneys.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  There currently is a need for a non-invasive measure of renal fibrosis. We aim to explore whether shear wave elastography (SWE)-derived estimates of tissue stiffness may serve as a non-invasive biomarker that can distinguish normal and abnormal renal parenchymal tissue.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants with CKD (by estimated GFR) and healthy volunteers underwent SWE. Renal elasticity was estimated as Young's modulus (YM) in kilopascals (kPa). Univariate Wilcoxon rank-sum tests were used.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Twenty-five participants with CKD (median GFR 38 mL/min; quartile 1, quartile 3 28, 42) and 20 healthy controls without CKD underwent SWE performed by a single radiologist. CKD was associated with increased median YM (9.40 [5.55, 22.35] vs. 4.40 [3.68, 5.70] kPa; p = 0.002) and higher median intra-subject inter-measurement estimated YM's variability (4.27 [2.89, 9.90] vs. 1.51 [1.21, 2.05] kPa; p < 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  SWE-derived estimates of renal stiffness and intra-subject estimated stiffness variability are higher in patients with CKD than in healthy controls. Renal fibrosis is a plausible explanation for the observed difference in YM. Further studies are required to determine the relationship between YM, estimated renal stiffness, and renal fibrosis severity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, 02114, USA. ASAMIR@mgh.harvard.edu.
authors.forename: Anthony E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Samir
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Division of Nephrology, Massachusetts General Hospital, 185 Cambridge St, Suite 8.216, Boston, MA, 02114, USA. AALLEGRETTI@partners.org.
authors.forename: Andrew S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Allegretti
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, 02114, USA. QZHU@mgh.harvard.edu.
authors.forename: Qingli
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, 02114, USA. Dhyani.Manish@mgh.harvard.edu.
authors.forename: Manish
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dhyani
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, 02114, USA. AANVARI@PARTNERS.ORG.
authors.forename: Arash
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Anvari
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Division of Nephrology, Massachusetts General Hospital, 185 Cambridge St, Suite 8.216, Boston, MA, 02114, USA. DSULLIVAN18@mgh.harvard.edu.
authors.forename: Dorothy A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Sullivan
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Division of Nephrology, Massachusetts General Hospital, 185 Cambridge St, Suite 8.216, Boston, MA, 02114, USA. caittrot@bu.edu.
authors.forename: Caitlin A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Trottier
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Division of Nephrology, Massachusetts General Hospital, 185 Cambridge St, Suite 8.216, Boston, MA, 02114, USA. SDOUGHERTY@MGH.HARVARD.EDU.
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dougherty
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Division of Nephrology, Massachusetts General Hospital, 185 Cambridge St, Suite 8.216, Boston, MA, 02114, USA. WWWILLIAMS@mgh.harvard.edu.
authors.forename: Winfred W
authors.initials: WW
authors.lastname: Williams
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Division of Nephrology, Massachusetts General Hospital, 185 Cambridge St, Suite 8.216, Boston, MA, 02114, USA. Babitt.Jodie@mgh.harvard.edu.
authors.forename: Jodie L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Babitt
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Division of Nephrology, Massachusetts General Hospital, 185 Cambridge St, Suite 8.216, Boston, MA, 02114, USA. JWENGER1@partners.org.
authors.forename: Julia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wenger
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Division of Nephrology, Massachusetts General Hospital, 185 Cambridge St, Suite 8.216, Boston, MA, 02114, USA. RTHADHANI@mgh.harvard.edu.
authors.forename: Ravi I
authors.initials: RI
authors.lastname: Thadhani
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Division of Nephrology, Massachusetts General Hospital, 185 Cambridge St, Suite 8.216, Boston, MA, 02114, USA. Lin.Herbert@mgh.harvard.edu.
authors.forename: Herbert Y
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Lin
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D055119:Elastic Modulus; D004548:Elasticity; D054459:Elasticity Imaging Techniques; D005260:Female; D005355:Fibrosis; D006801:Humans; D007668:Kidney / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010865:Pilot Projects; D051436:Renal Insufficiency, Chronic / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology