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Updated: Apr 19, 2026
Assessment of Vascular Function in Patients With Chronic Kidney Disease
Published on: June 16, 2014
Cardiac imaging in patients with chronic kidney disease
Diana Y Y Chiu1, Darren Green1, Nik Abidin2
1Institute of Population Health, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, The University of Manchester, 46 Grafton Street, Manchester M13 9NT, UK.
Insights
Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) face significant cardiovascular risks, often with undetected cardiac changes like left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH). Cardiac imaging helps diagnose and manage these conditions, improving patient outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Nephrology
- Cardiology
- Medical Imaging
Background:
- Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) have a high risk of cardiovascular disease.
- Cardiac abnormalities, including left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH), are prevalent in CKD patients, affecting prognosis.
- Symptoms of cardiac disease may be absent in many CKD patients, underscoring the need for effective diagnostic tools.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review established and emerging cardiac imaging modalities for diagnosing and risk-stratifying heart disease in CKD patients.
- To enhance understanding of the pathophysiology of cardiac abnormalities in renal disease.
- To guide nephrologists in selecting appropriate imaging tools for individual CKD patients.
Main Methods:
- Review of current literature on cardiac imaging techniques in CKD.
- Comparison of imaging modalities' utility in CKD versus the general population.
- Discussion of established and novel imaging tools for cardiac assessment in renal disease.
Main Results:
- A high prevalence of cardiac abnormalities, such as LVH (74% in CKD stage 5), exists in CKD patients.
- Cardiac imaging tools are crucial for diagnosing and assessing the severity of heart disease in this population.
- These techniques offer insights into the mechanisms underlying cardiac changes in CKD.
Conclusions:
- Cardiac imaging is essential for managing cardiovascular risk in CKD patients.
- Appropriate selection of imaging modalities can aid in personalized patient care.
- Further understanding of cardiac pathophysiology in CKD through imaging can improve clinical management.
Abstract:
Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) carry a high cardiovascular risk. In this patient group, cardiac structure and function are frequently abnormal and 74% of patients with CKD stage 5 have left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) at the initiation of renal replacement therapy. Cardiac changes, such as LVH and impaired left ventricular systolic function, have been associated with an unfavourable prognosis. Despite the prevalence of underlying cardiac abnormalities, symptoms may not manifest in many patients. Fortunately, a range of available and emerging cardiac imaging tools may assist with diagnosing and stratifying the risk and severity of heart disease in patients with CKD. Moreover, many of these techniques provide a better understanding of the pathophysiology of cardiac abnormalities in patients with renal disease. Knowledge of the currently available cardiac imaging modalities might help nephrologists to choose the most appropriate investigative tool based on individual patient circumstances. This Review describes established and emerging cardiac imaging modalities in this context, and compares their use in CKD patients with their use in the general population.
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