Ke Zhang¹, Simon M.F. Triphan¹, Felix T. Kurz², Christian H. Ziener³, Heinz-Peter Schlemmer ³, Hans-Ulrich Kauczor¹, and Oliver Sedlaczek^1,3
1Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany, ²Department of Neuroradiology, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany, ³Department of Radiology, German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany

Vessel architecture imaging (VAI) MRI is a a technique that noninvasively measures parameters who describe the structural heterogeneity of brain microvasculature. To apply VAI in kidney disease respiratory motion artifacts need to be compensated for. In this study, a navigator along the inferior-superior direction was inserted as training data at the beginning of the measurement and interleaved during imaging acquisition. Our preliminary results suggest that respiratory motion can be corrected accurately.

Haonan Zhang¹, Qingwei Song¹, Jiazheng Wang², Zhiwei Shen², Renwang Pu¹, Nan Zhang¹, and Ailian Liu^1
1Department of Radiology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China, ²PHILIPS——Philips Healthcare, beijing, China

Renal artery imaging based on Balanced turbo field echo (B-TFE) sequence need a relatively long scan time and may be disturbed by motion artifacts, such as respiratory movement and other physiological factors. This study aimed to explore the accelerated renal artery imaging based on B-TFE using the compressed-SENSE (CS-SENSE) compared with a parallel imaging technique (SENSE), and to determine an optimal acceleration factor of CS-SENSE to achieved both of the reduction of scan time and a favorable image quality.

Limin Zhou¹, Yiming Wang¹, and Ananth Madhuranthakam^1,2
1Department of Radiology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, United States, ²Advanced Imaging Research Center, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, United States

Pseudo-continuous arterial spin labeling (pCASL) has been the recommended ASL method for brain, and one of the two methods for kidneys. However, the reliability of labeling efficiency of pCASL is a major concern, especially in renal imaging due to the increased B0 inhomogeneities. In this study, we implemented and evaluated the optimized unbalanced pCASL gradient scheme generated by numerical simulation with both perfusion phantom and 4 healthy volunteers. The results showed that this optimized unbalanced pCASL gradient scheme was more robust to off-resonance than the corresponding balanced pCASL gradient scheme.

Nathan Sennesael^1,2, Pieter R.E. De Backer^3,4,5, Charlotte Debbaut^4,6, Karel Decaestecker^3,5, Pieter L.J. De Visschere^2,7, Marijn M. Speeckaert^8,9, Saar Vermijs^4,5, Geert Villeirs^2,7, and Pim Pullens^1,2,7
1GIfMI, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium, ²Diagnostic Sciences, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium, ³Urology, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium, ⁴IBiTech-bioMMeda, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium, ⁵Human Structure and Repair, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium, ⁶Cancer Research Institute Ghent (CRIG), Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium, ⁷Radiology, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium, ⁸Nephrology, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium, ⁹Internal diseases and Paediatrics, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium

During partial nephrectomy (PN), a trade-off between clamping arteries to assure optimal conditions for surgery and maximizing oxygenation to tissue unaffected by the tumor, has to be made. Knowledge of the anatomy of the renal vascular dominant regions, can help optimize this trade-off and thus has the potential to significantly improve PN interventions. We found that high resolution 3D-T2w-MRI scans in combination with artery-selective contrast injections is an effective alternative to ex-vivo kidney casting as it allows for 3D mapping of the renal vascular dominant regions and shows potential for segmentation of the renal vascular tree.

Jing Chen¹, Jinggang Zhang¹, Weiqiang Dou², and Jie Chen^1
1The Third Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Changzhou, Jiangsu, China, ²GE Healthcare, MR Research China, Beijing, Beijing, China

This study explored the relationship between the T2 value of the outer medulla and the pathological characteristics of renal ischemia reperfusion injury (IRI) in an animal model. T2 values of the outer medulla increased at 1 hour after IRI and decreased from 1 hour to 48 hours gradually. T2 values of the outer medulla were significantly correlated with pathological score of renal injury, especially with tubular epithelial edema. Based on the findings, T2 mapping might reflect the dynamic changes of renal IRI and be used to assess the renal IRI in the early stage.

Yizhong Yuan¹, Jipan Xu¹, Yan Ren², Lihua Chen², Jinxia Zhu³, Robert Grimm⁴, and Wen Shen^2
1First Central Hospital Institute, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China, ²Department of Radiology, Tianjin First Center Hospital, Tianjin, China, ³MR Collaboration, Siemens Healthcare, Beijing, China, ⁴MR Application development, Siemens Healthcare GmbH, Erlangen, Germany

This study investigated diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI) values in evaluating the microstructural changes in the early stages of renal cold ischemia-reperfusion injuries (CIRIs). The results showed that both the mean diffusivity (MD) values and mean kurtosis (MK) values were negatively correlated with the pathologic scores, and the MK values showed more detailed microstructural changes than the MD values.

Qin Chen¹, JingGang Zhang¹, WeiQiang Dou², Jie Chen¹, and Wei Xing^1
1The Third Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Changzhou, Jiangsu, China, ²GE Healthcare, MR Research, Beijing, China

Ischemia reperfusion injury (IRI) is the main factor that delays the recovery of the renal function and leads to the failure of treatment. To our knowledge, R2’ mapping as a quantitative MRI method may be helpful for assessment of IRI in the early stage. This study compared the R2’ values of outer medulla at different time points in a rabbit model and found significant differences between IRI group and control group. Meanwhile, significant correlation was also found between R2’ values and histopathological features. R2’ mapping can evaluate the dynamic changes of the outer medulla longitudinally.

Yan Ren¹, Lihua Chen¹, Yizhong Yuan², Jipan Xu², Jinxia Zhu³, Robert Grimm⁴, and Wen Shen^1
1Tianjin First Center Hospital, Tianjin, China, ²First Central Hospital Institute, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China, ³MR collaborations, Siemens Healthcare Ltd., Beijing, China, ⁴Siemens Healthcare GmbH, Erlangen, Germany

The study evaluated the use of Intravoxel Incoherent Motion (IVIM) imaging to detect dynamic changes in renal microvascular characteristics during cold ischemia-reperfusion injuries (CIRIs). As previous studies have investigated warm ischemia-reperfusion injuries, we aimed to assess MR diffusion imaging in a renal CIRI Sprague Dawley rat model. Results showed that IVIM imaging is a sensitive tool to monitor changes in renal functional characteristics.

Lihua Chen¹, Yan Ren¹, Yizhong Yuan², Jipan Xu², Jinxia Zhu³, Xuening Zhang⁴, Robert Grimm⁵, and Wen Shen^1
1Tianjin First Center Hospital, Tianjin, China, ²First Central Hospital Institute, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China, ³Siemens Healthcare Ltd., Beijing, China, ⁴Second Hospital of Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China, ⁵Siemens Healthcare GmbH, Erlangen, Germany

Renal dysfunction evaluations after renal cold ischemia-reperfusion injury (CIRI) has important clinical significance for prolonging donor kidney preservation times and improving the survival rates of transplanted kidneys. Diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) has been accepted for microstructure change evaluations of renal function. In this study, a CIRI rat model was established and compared with a sham-operation group. The value of mono-exponential, bi-exponential, and kurtosis DWI models was compared to evaluate renal changes at different time points after CIRI surgery. The results showed that the bi-exponential and kurtosis models were more sensitive for detecting renal changes compared with the mono-exponential model.

Soo Hyun Shin¹, Michael F. Wendland², and Moriel H. Vandsburger^1
1Department of Bioengineering, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, United States, ²Berkeley Preclinical Imaging Core (BPIC), University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, United States

Standardized blood tests of kidney function lack adequate sensitivity to capture chronic progression of renal injuries. We examined whether saline-responsive urea CEST and quantitative MT imaging can be used to detect mild renal injury development. Upon renal injury progression, the urea CEST contrast decreased in the cortex, and the saline-induced fold change of contrast decreased in the inner medulla and papilla. qMT imaging showed the decrease of semi-solid macromolecule pool in the cortex. These results indicate that the saline-responsive CEST and qMT imaging have a potential to detect subclinical renal injury development.

Quan Tao¹, Peiwei Yi¹, Zimeng Cai¹, Yingjie Mei², Ruiyuan Liu¹, and Yanqiu Feng^1
1School of Biomedical Engineering, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China, ²Philips healthcare, Guangzhou, China

In this study, we synthesis a mitochondria-targeted contrast agent named triphenylphosphine-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl (TPP-TEMPOL) to protect the kidney from the damage induced by rhabdomyolysis. At the same time, measured the T1 changes by MRI.

Bowen Shi¹, Ke Xue², Yili Yin¹, Qing Xu¹, Binbin Shi¹, Jing Ye¹, and Yongming Dai^2
1Northern Jiangsu Province Hospital, Yangzhou, China, ²Shanghai United Imaging Healthcare, Shanghai, China

Accurately assessing the tumor grades of ccRCC patients has a significant impact on the selection of the optimal surgical intervention. This study evaluated the performance of FROC, DK, bi- and mono-exponential diffusion models in differentiating low- from high-grade ccRCCs. A spectrum of diffusion metrics from the four models, reflecting cellularity, vascularity and microstructure complexity, were compared between these two groups. As a result, the diffusion parameters from the FROC model outperformed the other three models in characterizing ccRCC grades. This implied the FROC diffusion model held the potential in renal tumor diagnosis, grading, treatment decision and monitoring for treatment response.

Pei Xinlong¹ and Yuan Huishu^2
1Radiology Department, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing, China, ²Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing, China

The target drug is designed to shrink renal carcinoma and tumor thrombi. MR is promising about predicting the efficacy of targeted drugs before operation. We attempts to summarize and analyze this aspect.

Jinghong Liu¹, Mingzhe Xu², Ailian Liu¹, Qingwei Song¹, Lihua Chen¹, Ru Cao¹, Weilin Li¹, and Juan Ruan^1
1Radiology, First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China, ²Henan Cancer Hospital, Henan, China

Centripetal infiltration into the renal parenchyma often accompanies with the growth of infiltrative RTCC.

Xinmiao Bu¹, Ailian Liu¹, Jinghong Liu¹, Qingwei Song¹, Juan Ruan², Weilin Li², and Ru Cao^2
1The First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China, ²Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China

IDEAL-IQ  is a new scanning sequence based on the principle of three-point Dixon asymmetric echo technology. The images of water phase, lipid phase, in-phase, reverse phase, fat fraction and R2* relaxation images can be generated at the same time in one scan to realize the quantitative measurement of fat fraction. The R2* value of the ccRCC group was greater than that of the RAMLwvf group, and the FF value was lower than RAMLwvf group, the difference was statistically significant (P <0.05). The AUC value of R2* value and FF value for identifying ccRCC with RAMLwvf groups are 0.893 and 0.905.

Cody Johnson¹, Alex Tannenbaum¹, Samuel Koebe¹, Lucille Anzia¹, Lu Mao², Matthew Grimes³, Diego Hernando¹, Alejandro Roldán-Alzate^1,4,5, and Shane Wells^1
1Radiology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, MADISON, WI, United States, ²Biostatics and Medical Informatics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States, ³Urology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States, ⁴Biomedical Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, MADISON, WI, United States, ⁵Mechanical Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) contributes to lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS). However, non-invasive methods for studying this association are limited. This study investigated the relationship of MetS, LUTS, anatomy, and function of the bladder and prostate in men and women. Manual segmentation with 3D rendering of the bladder and prostate were performed from MRI. We found that MetS is associated with increased bladder wall volume and postvoid residual in men but not women, suggesting that the effect of MetS on the prostate contributes to anatomic and functional changes of the bladder in men.

Nguyen Trong Nguyen¹, Ilwoo Park^2,3, Ngoc Luu Do², Tien Anh Nguyen², Sang Heon Suh ⁴, Eun Hui Bae⁴, and Sang Soo Shin^2
1Department of Biomedical Science, Chonnam National University, Gwangju, Korea, Republic of, ²Department of Radiology, Chonnam National University Medical School and Hospital, Gwangju, Korea, Republic of, ³Department of Artificial Intelligence Convergence, Chonnam National University, Gwangju, Korea, Republic of, ⁴Department of Internal Medicine, Chonnam National University Hospital, Gwangju, Korea, Republic of

Alport Syndrome (AS) is an inherited kidney disease with progressive kidney failure. We investigate the potential of hyperpolarized 13C MRI to be used as an non-invasive technique for detecting early abnormal changes in renal metabolism. Hyperpolarized [1-13C]pyruvate imaging was applied to AS and wild-type mice at 4- and 7-week-old. Normalized Lactate in AS model was significantly lower at 7-week compared to 4-week. This abnormal renal metabolism in AS mice was consistent with PEPCK analysis, which showed increased expression level as the disease progressed. We demonstrated the feasibility of this technique for assessing early renal function in mouse model of AS.

Jianting Li¹, Jinliang Niu¹, and Rong Zheng^2
1The second hospital of Shanxi medical university, Taiyuan, China, ²The first hospital of Shanxi medical university, Taiyuan, China

36% of high-grade hematological malignancies patients suffer acute kidney injury (KI), including leukemia. Autopsy data suggested that kidney involvement represent a significant proportion of patients with acute leukemia (AL), ranging from 50% to 100%. Therefore, it is crucial to diagnose KI early and accurately. Clinical symptoms and renal biopsy are limited in diagnosing KI. Intravoxel incoherent motion MRI (IVIM) can reflect the diffusion and perfusion of kindeys. It is reported that some parameters are sensitive to renal pathological processes of focal and diffuse lesions. Thus, IVIM may offer an opportunity to identify early changes in renal function in AL.

Xinxin Zhang¹ and Yan Chen^1
1Department of Imaging Diagnosis, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital，Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, BeiJing, China

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy(NAC) becomes the standard treatment for muscular invasive bladder cancer (MIBC), some patients do not respond to NAC. So the purpose of this study was to evaluate the potential of diffusion-weighted (DW) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with an ADC map in the prediction of response to NAC in patients with MIBC. In our study, all the sixty-two MIBC patients have underwent DW-MRI before and after NAC. After NAC, patients were classified into responders or non-responders by the Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors. However, there was no statistically significant difference in ADC between responders and non-responders before NAC.