T1 vs. T2 weighted magnetic resonance imaging to assess total kidney volume in patients with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease

Purpose In ADPKD patients total kidney volume (TKV) measurement using MRI is performed to predict rate of disease progression. Historically T1 weighted images (T1) were used, but the methodology of T2 weighted imaging (T2) has evolved. We compared the performance of both sequences. Methods 40 ADPKD patients underwent an abdominal MRI at baseline and follow-up. TKV was measured by manual tracing with Analyze Direct 11.0 software. Three readers established intra- and interreader coefficients of variation (CV). T1 and T2 measured kidney volumes and growth rates were compared with ICC and Bland–Altman analyses. Results Participants were 49.7 ± 7.0 years of age, 55.0% female, with estimated GFR of 50.1 ± 11.5 mL/min/1.73 m 2 . CVs were low and comparable for T2 and T1 (intrareader: 0.83% [0.48–1.79] vs. 1.15% [0.34–1.77], P = 0.9, interreader: 2.18% [1.59–2.61] vs. 1.69% [1.07–3.87], P = 0.9). TKV was clinically similar, but statistically significantly different between T2 and T1: 1867 [1172–2721] vs. 1932 [1180–2551] mL, respectively ( P = 0.006), with a bias of only 0.8% and high agreement (ICC 0.997). Percentage kidney growth during 2.2 ± 0.3 years was similar for T2 and T1 (9.3 ± 10.6% vs. 7.8 ± 9.9%, P = 0.1, respectively), with a bias of 1.5% and high agreement (ICC 0.843). T2 was more often of sufficient quality for volume measurement (86.7% vs. 71.1%, P