Diffusional kurtosis imaging of kidneys in patients with hyperuricemia: initial study

Background At present, there remains a lack of a reliable indicator for monitoring renal function in patients with hyperuricemia. Purpose This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility of diffusion kurtosis imaging in the assessment of renal function in patients with hyperuricemia. Material and Methods A total of 75 male participants, including 25 with asymptomatic hyperuricemia, 25 with gouty arthritis, and 25 age-matched male healthy controls, were enrolled in this study. Diffusion kurtosis imaging data were acquired to derive axial (Ka), radial (Kr), and mean kurtosis (MK), fractional anisotropy, axial (Da), radial (Dr), and mean diffusivity (MD) for comparisons among the three groups. They were also correlated with estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR). Results The MK values of the renal cortex and medulla and Kr value of the renal medulla in patients with asymptomatic hyperuricemia and gouty arthritis significantly increased compared with those in the controls (P