Diagnostic value of renal perfusion in patients with chronic kidney disease using 3D arterial spin labeling

Purpose To evaluate the diagnostic value of 3D arterial spin labeling (ASL) for noninvasive quantification of renal blood flow (RBF) in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Materials and Methods CKD patients (n = 27) and healthy volunteers (n = 36) underwent renal 3T ASL magnetic resonance imaging, with inversion times from 1200 to 2000 msec for volunteers in the preliminary test, and 1800 to 2000 msec for volunteers and CKD patients in the formal experiments. The cortical RBFs were compared, and a correlation between RBF and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) was evaluated. Results For healthy volunteers, RBF values increased with TIs from 1200 to 1600 msec, but were almost constant at TIs from 1600 to 2000 msec. The cortical RBF values of CKD patients were lower than that of healthy volunteers at TIs from 1800 to 2000 msec. In addition, the CKD patients had lower cortical RBF values than the healthy volunteers (P < 0.01 for both), and their RBF values positively correlated with eGFR. Conclusion 3D ASL is a potential noninvasive method for measuring renal perfusion that can provide valuable information for clinical CKD diagnosis. Level of Evidence: 1 Technical Efficacy: Stage 3 J. MAGN. RESON. IMAGING 2017;46:589–594