Cine-CT measurement of cortical renal blood flow

A modified indicator-dilution technique using radiographic contrast material and a cine-CT scanner was used to measure blood flow in the renal cortex of dogs. To validate this technique, CT measurements were correlated with simultaneous measurements of flow determined by radioactive microspheres. Measurements were taken during euvolemic conditions and after hemorrhage. Thirty-nine measurements were compared, covering a flow range from 1 to 7 ml min-1 g-1, and a good correlation was found between the cine-CT and microsphere results (r = 0.93; p less than 0.001). Additionally, cine-CT measurements were made of the mean transit time (MTT) of contrast material through the renal cortex, and the reciprocal of these MTT values was also well correlated to microsphere determined flow (r = 0.94; p less than 0.001). Thus, cine-CT appears to be a promising new technique for measuring renal blood flow.