Intravoxel incoherent motion imaging of the kidney: The application in patients with hyperuricemia

Hyperuricemia is an independent risk factor for onset and progression of kidney disease. However, there remains a lack of a reliable and noninvasive biomarker to identify and monitor the changes of renal function in patients with hyperuricemia.

To assess the utility of intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM) parameters in identifying the early changes of renal function in patients with hyperuricemia.

Retrospective case-control study.

Eighty-four male participants, including asymptomatic hyperuricemia (AH, 27 cases), gouty arthritis (GA, 31 cases), and 26 age-matched healthy controls.

3.0T; intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM).

Differences in the IVIM parameters among the three groups were assessed. Pure molecular diffusion (D value); perfusion-related diffusion (D* value); pseudodiffusion fraction (f value); apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC value); estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR). Also, they were correlated with eGFR.

Bonferroni test, Tamhane's T₂ method, and Pearson correlation analysis.

The D values in renal cortex and medulla significantly decreased from the control, AH to GA groups (P < 0.05). The GA patients had a significantly lower cortical f value than the controls and AH patients (P < 0.05). The medullary f values in the AH and GA patients were significantly lower than that in the controls (P < 0.05). Also, the cortical and medullary ADC values had similar results across the three groups (P < 0.05), except for the comparison between the AH and GA groups (P = 0.668, P = 0.111, respectively). No significant correlation was found between any IVIM parameters with eGFR.

IVIM imaging may be helpful for detecting the early changes of renal function induced by hyperuricemia. The D value could be the most sensitive IVIM-derived parameter in the assessment of renal function in patients with hyperuricemia in this study.

3 Technical Efficacy Stage: 3 J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2020;51:833-840.