Renal graft imaging: An update and overview

Area of Science:

• Radiology and Medical Imaging
• Transplant Surgery
• Artificial Intelligence in Medicine

Background:

• Renal graft function and pathology assessment often requires a multimodal imaging approach.
• Various imaging modalities like CT, MRI, and nuclear medicine are used pre- and post-transplantation.
• Monitoring graft function and complications is crucial for successful renal transplantation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide an evidence-based summary of renal graft imaging.
• To review recent advancements in radiology for renal transplantation.
• To offer an updated overview of renal graft imaging techniques.

Main Methods:

• Narrative review of existing literature.
• Synthesis of evidence from high-quality studies.
• Focus on multimodal imaging approaches and emerging AI methodologies.

Main Results:

• Established imaging modalities (radiography, CT, MRI, ultrasonography, nuclear medicine) are utilized.
• Non-ionizing modalities and nuclear medicine are increasingly common.
• Artificial intelligence integration shows promise for enhancing diagnostic and prognostic performance.

Conclusions:

• Multimodal imaging is essential for assessing renal graft function and pathology.
• AI integration in renal graft imaging requires further validation.
• This review offers an updated perspective on renal graft imaging in transplantation.