Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 23, 2026

A Mouse Model to Evaluate the Long-Term Structural and Functional Outcomes after the Reversal of Prolonged Unilateral Ureteric Obstruction
Published on: July 18, 2025
The Accuracy of Renal Function Measurements in Obstructive Hydronephrosis Using Dynamic Contrast-Enhanced MR
Yuan-Cheng Wang1, Di Chang1, Shi-Jun Zhang1
1Department of Radiology, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Molecular and Functional Imaging, Zhongda Hospital, Southeast University Medical School, 87 Ding Jia Qiao Rd, Nanjing 210009, PRC.
Abstract:
OBJECTIVE. The objective of our study was to assess the accuracy of glomerular filtration rate (GFR) evaluation in patients with obstructive hydronephrosis using dynamic contrast-enhanced MR renography (DCE-MRR). MATERIALS AND METHODS. A group of 28 adult volunteers were enrolled in this study: 13 without hydronephrosis, eight with low-grade hydronephrosis, and seven with high-grade hydronephrosis. The GFR obtained from DCE-MRR (GFRMRR) and the GFR obtained from renal scintigraphy (GFRRS) were compared with the reference GFR (GFRRef) acquired using the two plasma sample method. The correlation and agreement between GFRMRR and GFRRef, GFRRS and GFRRef, and single-kidney GFRMRR (skGFRMRR) and single-kidney GFRRS (skGFRRS) were assessed. The interrater reliability of DCE-MRR and the interrater reliability of renal scintigraphy (RS) were measured. RESULTS. Both GFRMRR and GFRRS correlated well with GFRRef. In patients with hydronephrosis, DCE-MRR and RS overestimated GFR by 12.8 ± 13.9 mL/min (mean ± SD) and 11.5 ± 12.3 mL/min, respectively. The skGFRRS was higher than skGFRMRR by 5.7 ± 3.8 mL/min in high-grade hydronephrotic kidneys (p = 0.004). Good interrater reliability was observed for skGFRMRR (intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC] = 0.82-0.92) and skGFRRS (ICC = 0.79-0.90) for both nonhydronephrotic kidneys and hydronephrotic kidneys. The overall mean SDs of repeated measurements from three investigators were 4.0 and 3.8 mL/min for skGFRMRR and skGFRRS, respectively. CONCLUSION. Both DCE-MRR and RS tend to overestimate GFR in patients with hydronephrosis. RS-derived skGFR is slightly higher than that of DCE-MRR in kidneys with high-grade hydronephrosis. DCE-MRR is comparable to RS and may serve as an alternative noninvasive method for GFR measurement.
Related Concept Videos
Uncertainty in Measurement: Accuracy and Precision
Design Example: Measuring Distance Between Two Points with Obstructions
Improving Translational Accuracy
Improving Translational Accuracy
Serum Studies: Renal Function Tests
Accuracy and Precision

