Kidney Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Change in eGFR in Individuals with CKD

Area of Science:

• Nephrology
• Radiology
• Biomarkers

Background:

• Chronic kidney disease (CKD) progression requires better noninvasive identification methods.
• Functional kidney MRI is an emerging tool for assessing kidney health.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if baseline kidney functional MRI biomarkers predict estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) decline in CKD patients.
• To assess the stability of these biomarkers over time.

Main Methods:

• 122 participants with eGFR 20-45 ml/min/1.73 m² underwent baseline diffusion-weighted (ADC) and blood oxygen level-dependent (R2*) MRI.
• Associations between baseline MRI biomarkers and annual eGFR change were analyzed.
• MRI biomarkers were reassessed after 12 months in a subset of 87 participants.

Main Results:

• Baseline apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) was associated with annual eGFR change (P=0.04).
• This association lost significance after adjusting for albuminuria (P=0.08).
• No significant association was found between baseline R2* and eGFR change. ADC and R2* remained stable over 12 months.

Conclusions:

• Baseline cortical ADC shows a potential link to eGFR change in CKD, but it is confounded by albuminuria.
• Kidney functional MRI biomarkers (ADC, R2*) are stable over one year.
• Further research is needed to refine functional MRI for predicting CKD progression.