Chronic kidney disease is a serious disease that affects approximately 10% of the population according to European Corporation of Science and Technology (COST). Moreover, it has a major impact on public health and quality of life. There is a need for new and better biomarkers to identify patients at risk of kidney disease progression and to monitor treatment. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has been shown to contribute to meet these challenges; MRI is non-invasive and has been shown to correlate with renal pathophysiology.

Although several functional and quantitative MRI measures exist, they are not widely used for renal imaging in clinical practice, because in-house programming is needed and there is a lack of standardisation between vendors and researchers. Most of the available published studies include only a limited number of patients.

At present, validation studies are needed to explore the correlation between MR measures and existing methods used in clinical practice. However, no reference standard exists.

Currently, validation of the MR methods including Arterial Spin Labelling (ASL) perfusion, Diffusion, T1-mapping, T2-mapping is ongoing and all methods can be performed without contrast agents.

All studies are performed without contrast agents to avoid the risk of developing nephrogenic Systemic Fibroses (NSF).

A collaboration with Professor My Svensson, Anne Negård and colleagues at Akershus University Hospital has recently been initiated on the project:

Detection of renal fibrosis burden and prediction of kidney function deterioration: The role of kidney MRI and markers of accelerated renal ageing. 

This project will use the abovementioned methods.

Maureen N. Hood, PhD, RN, Anne Dorte Blankholm, PhD, MSc, Alan Stolpen, MD, PhD, FACR. The Rise of Off-Label Iron-Based Agents in Magnetic Resonance Imaging. Journal of Radiology Nursing 38 (2019) 38-41

Anne Dorte Blankholm PhD, MSc, Radiographer. Department of Radiology, Aarhus University Hospital and Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark. E-mail: anneblan@rm.dk Phone: +45 4046 5563

Steffen Ringgaard PhD, Associate Professor. Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark. E-mail: steffen@clin.au.dk