Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 10, 2026
Co-analysis of Brain Structure and Function using fMRI and Diffusion-weighted Imaging
Published on: November 8, 2012
Alterations in apparent diffusion coefficient values of the kidney during the cardiac cycle: Evaluation with
Katsuyoshi Ito1, Minoru Hayashida2, Akihiko Kanki2
1Department of Radiology, Yamaguchi University Graduate School of Medicine, 1-1-1 Minami-kogushi, Ube, Yamaguchi 755-8505, Japan; Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Kawasaki Medical School, 577 Matsushima, Kurashiki, Okayama 701-0192, Japan.
Purpose:
To evaluate dynamic changes in apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values of the kidney at different time points during the cardiac cycle using electrocardiographic (ECG)-triggered diffusion-weighted MR imaging in normal subjects, and to elucidate the differences in ADC values between the right and left kidneys during a cardiac cycle.
Materials And Methods:
The study was approved by our institutional review board and informed consent was obtained from subjects. Twenty healthy volunteers who underwent ECG-triggered diffusion-weighted MR imaging of the kidney were included. The differences in ADC values of each kidney during different cardiac phases were compared. Additionally, the differences in maximum and minimum ADC values between the right and left kidney were also evaluated.
Results:
ADC values in the right and left kidney changed significantly during the cardiac cycle (P < 0.00001). Maximum and minimum ADC values during the cardiac cycle of the left kidney were significantly higher (P = 0.026 and 0.017, respectively) than those of the right kidney. Maximum ADC value in the left kidney had a significantly strong positive correlation with the left renal vein ratio (r = 0.83, P < 0.00001). In the right kidney, maximum ADC showed a weakly positive correlation with the diameter of the right renal vein (r = 0.45, P = 0.048).
Conclusion:
ADC values of the kidney obtained using ECG-triggered diffusion-weighted MR imaging change significantly during the cardiac cycle. Maximum (systolic) ADC during the cardiac cycle of the left kidney was significantly higher than that of the right kidney, probably due to the anatomical difference in the renal vein.
Related Concept Videos
01:12Diffusion
01:21Diffusion
01:25Correlation between ECG and Cardiac Cycle
A cardiac action potential originates in the SA node and spreads throughout the atria and the AV node in approximately 0.03 seconds. This results in the P wave in an ECG and triggers atrial contraction. The action potential is then briefly slowed at the AV node, allowing the atria to contract and fill the ventricles with blood before...
01:09Apparent Weight
Consider a person standing on a bathroom scale inside an elevator. If the scale is accurate at rest, its reading equals the...
01:28Apparent Weight and the Earth's Rotation
For an object on the Earth's equator, the net centripetal force that accounts for its rotation is the Earth's pull towards its center, or the weight minus the normal force that prevents it from piercing into the Earth's surface....
01:16Facilitated Diffusion
In this process, substrates such as organic compounds and ions interact with a transporter on one side, triggering conformational changes in proteins that enable...