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Clinical significance of contrast-enhanced ultrasound in chronic kidney disease: a pilot study

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Abstract

Background

Contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) has the potential to improve the imaging of renal blood flow and renal lesional vascularity in real time with high temporal and spatial resolution.

Purpose

This study investigated the clinical significance of real-time CEUS in cases of chronic kidney disease (CKD).

Materials and methods

Included patients were stratified according to their estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR): Group I (CKD stage I and II), eGFR ≥ 60 ml/min/1.73 m2; group II (CKD stage III), eGFR of 30 ≤ eGFR < 60 ml/min/1.73 m2; and group III (CKD stage IV and V), eGFR of eGFR < 30 ml/min/1.73 m2. Real-time and dynamic imaging of the renal cortex was performed using CEUS. Several bolus model perfusion and laboratory parameters were compared. The differences in perfusion or laboratory parameters among the groups and correlation between perfusion or laboratory parameters and eGFR were assessed.

Results

Of the 24 patients, 4 were classified into group I, 13 into group II, and 7 into group III. No significant differences were found among the three groups in the perfusion parameter analysis. No parameter was significantly positively correlated with eGFR. In the laboratory parameter analysis, significant differences in several parameters (RBC, BUN, SCr, glucose, TCh, phosphorus, TP, p < 0.05) were detected among the three groups. These parameters significantly correlated with eGFR (correlation coefficient, R = − 0.7625 to 0.6026).

Conclusions

Kidney perfusion parameters in CEUS do not correlate with kidney function in this pilot study.

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Acknowledgements

This study was supported by a grant from Samsung Medison Medical Systems. We appreciate the assistance in the working the study of Yunjung Lee (Bracco Imaging Korea).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiology, Chung-Ang University Hospital, Chung-Ang University College of Medicine, 102, Heukseok-ro, Dongjak-gu, Seoul, 06973, Korea

    Seokmin Jeong & Sung Bin Park

  2. Division of Nephrology, Department of Internal Medicine, Chung-Ang University Hospital, Chung-Ang University College of Medicine, 102, Heukseok-ro, Dongjak-gu, Seoul, 06973, Korea

    Su-Hyun Kim, Jin Ho Hwang & Jungho Shin

Authors
  1. Seokmin Jeong
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  2. Sung Bin Park
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  3. Su-Hyun Kim
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Sung Bin Park.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Jeong, S., Park, S.B., Kim, SH. et al. Clinical significance of contrast-enhanced ultrasound in chronic kidney disease: a pilot study. J Ultrasound 22, 453–460 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40477-019-00409-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40477-019-00409-x

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