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Kim DG, Lee JY, Ahn JH, Lee T, Eom M, Cho HS, Ku J. Quantitative ultrasound for non-invasive evaluation of subclinical rejection in renal transplantation. Eur Radiol 2023; 33:2367-2377. [PMID: 36422649 DOI: 10.1007/s00330-022-09260-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2022] [Revised: 09/25/2022] [Accepted: 10/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES This study aimed to investigate the predictive efficacy of shear-wave elastography, superb microvascular imaging (SMI), and CEUS for allograft rejection in kidney transplants without graft dysfunction. METHODS From January 2021 to November 2021, 72 consecutive patients who underwent both allograft biopsy and ultrasound were evaluated. Blood test results were obtained within a week of the ultrasound examinations, which were performed before the protocol biopsy. Resistive index (RI), tissue viscoelasticity, vascular index, and quantitative CEUS parameters were measured. Patients were divided based on biopsy results into the rejection and non-rejection groups. RESULTS Among the 72 patients, 21 patients had pathological characteristics of acute rejection. RI of allograft was significantly higher in the rejection group (p = 0.007), compared to the non-rejection group. There were no significant between-group differences in vascular indices of SMI, mean elasticity, and mean viscosity. Meanwhile, among the parameters obtained by the time-intensity curve on CEUS, the cortical and medullary ratios of average contrast signal intensity, peak enhancement, wash-in area AUC, wash-in perfusion index, wash-out AUC, and wash-in and wash-out AUC were significantly different between the two groups (p < 0.05). In the receiver operating characteristic curve analysis for predicting allograft rejection, the AUC was 0.853 for the combination of six CEUS parameters, RI, and blood urea nitrogen. CONCLUSIONS Among non-invasive quantitative ultrasound measurements, CEUS parameters are the most useful for diagnosing subclinical allograft rejection. Furthermore, the combination of CEUS parameters, RI, and blood urea nitrogen may be helpful for the early detection of renal allograft rejection. KEY POINTS • Among non-invasive quantitative ultrasound measurements, CEUS parameters are the most useful for the diagnosis of subclinical allograft rejection. • On CEUS, the C/M ratios of MeanLin, PE, WiAUC, WiPI, WoAUC, and WiWoAUC are significantly lower in the rejection group; the combination of these showed reliable predictive performance for rejection. • The combination of CEUS parameters, RI, and BUN has a high predictive capability for subclinical allograft rejection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deok-Gie Kim
- Department of Surgery, The Research Institute for Transplantation, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
| | - Jun Young Lee
- Transplantation Center, Wonju Severance Christian Hospital, Wonju, Korea.,Department of Nephrology, Yonsei University Wonju College of Medicine, Wonju, Korea.,Center of Evidence Based Medicine, Institute of Convergence Science, Yonsei University, Seoul, Korea
| | - Jhii-Hyun Ahn
- Department of Radiology, Wonju Severance Christian Hospital, Yonsei University Wonju College of Medicine, Wonju, Korea.
| | - Taesic Lee
- Division of Data Mining and Computational Biology, Institute of Global Health Care and Development, Wonju Severance Christian Hospital, Yonsei University Wonju College of Medicine, Wonju, Korea
| | - Minseob Eom
- Department of Pathology, Wonju Severance Christian Hospital, Yonsei University Wonju College of Medicine, Wonju, Korea
| | - Hyun Seok Cho
- Department of Radiology, Wonju Severance Christian Hospital, Yonsei University Wonju College of Medicine, Wonju, Korea
| | - Jihye Ku
- Department of Radiology, Wonju Severance Christian Hospital, Yonsei University Wonju College of Medicine, Wonju, Korea
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Qin C, Jin H, Zhang H, Zhang Y, Guan Z, Gao Y. Noninvasive Assessment of Interstitial Fibrosis and Tubular Atrophy in Renal Transplant by Combining Point-Shear Wave Elastography and Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate. Diagnostics (Basel) 2021; 12:diagnostics12010018. [PMID: 35054186 PMCID: PMC8774870 DOI: 10.3390/diagnostics12010018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2021] [Revised: 12/02/2021] [Accepted: 12/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of the combination of point-shear wave elastography (p-SWE) and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) for assessing different stages of interstitial fibrosis and tubular atrophy (IF/TA) in patients with chronic renal allograft dysfunction (CAD). From September 2020 to August 2021, 47 patients who underwent renal biopsy and p-SWE examinations were consecutively enrolled in this study. The areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves (AUCs) were calculated to evaluate overall accuracy and to identify the optimal cutoff values for different IF/TA stages. A total of 43 patients were enrolled in this study. The renal cortical stiffness and eGFR showed a significant difference between IF/TA Grade 0–1 and Grade 2–3 (p < 0.001). Additionally, renal stiffness and eGFR were independent predictors for moderate-to-severe IF/TA (Grade ≥ 2) according to multiple logistic regression analysis. The combination of p-SWE and eGFR, with an optimal cutoff value of −1.63, was superior to eGFR alone in assessing moderate-to-severe interstitial fibrosis (AUC, 0.86 vs. 0.72, p = 0.02) or tubular atrophy (AUC, 0.88 vs. 0.74, p = 0.02). There was no difference between p-SWE and eGFR in assessing moderate-to-severe IF/TA (AUC, 0.85 vs. 0.79, p = 0.61). Therefore, combining p-SWE and eGFR is worthy of clinical popularization and application.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chi Qin
- The Training Site for Postgraduate of Jinzhou Medical University, Department of Ultrasound, The Third Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital, 69 Yongding Road, Hai Dian, Beijing 100039, China;
| | - Hailong Jin
- Department of Organ Transplantation, The Third Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital, 69 Yongding Road, Hai Dian, Beijing 100039, China;
- Correspondence: (H.J.); (Y.G.)
| | - Haixiang Zhang
- Department of Ultrasound, The Third Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital, 69 Yongding Road, Hai Dian, Beijing 100039, China; (H.Z.); (Y.Z.)
| | - Yun Zhang
- Department of Ultrasound, The Third Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital, 69 Yongding Road, Hai Dian, Beijing 100039, China; (H.Z.); (Y.Z.)
| | - Zhaojie Guan
- Department of Organ Transplantation, The Third Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital, 69 Yongding Road, Hai Dian, Beijing 100039, China;
| | - Yongyan Gao
- Department of Ultrasound, The Third Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital, 69 Yongding Road, Hai Dian, Beijing 100039, China; (H.Z.); (Y.Z.)
- Correspondence: (H.J.); (Y.G.)
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Chantaduly C, Troutt HR, Perez Reyes KA, Zuckerman JE, Chang PD, Lau WL. Artificial Intelligence Assessment of Renal Scarring (AIRS Study). KIDNEY360 2021; 3:83-90. [PMID: 35368566 PMCID: PMC8967621 DOI: 10.34067/kid.0003662021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2021] [Accepted: 11/11/2021] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Background The goal of the Artificial Intelligence in Renal Scarring (AIRS) study is to develop machine learning tools for noninvasive quantification of kidney fibrosis from imaging scans. Methods We conducted a retrospective analysis of patients who had one or more abdominal computed tomography (CT) scans within 6 months of a kidney biopsy. The final cohort encompassed 152 CT scans from 92 patients, which included images of 300 native kidneys and 76 transplant kidneys. Two different convolutional neural networks (slice-level and voxel-level classifiers) were tested to differentiate severe versus mild/moderate kidney fibrosis (≥50% versus <50%). Interstitial fibrosis and tubular atrophy scores from kidney biopsy reports were used as ground-truth. Results The two machine learning models demonstrated similar positive predictive value (0.886 versus 0.935) and accuracy (0.831 versus 0.879). Conclusions In summary, machine learning algorithms are a promising noninvasive diagnostic tool to quantify kidney fibrosis from CT scans. The clinical utility of these prediction tools, in terms of avoiding renal biopsy and associated bleeding risks in patients with severe fibrosis, remains to be validated in prospective clinical trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chanon Chantaduly
- Department of Radiological Sciences and Center for Artificial Intelligence in Diagnostic Medicine, University of California Irvine, Orange, California
| | - Hayden R. Troutt
- Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, University of California Irvine, Orange, California
| | - Karla A. Perez Reyes
- Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, University of California Irvine, Orange, California
| | - Jonathan E. Zuckerman
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine at University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California
| | - Peter D. Chang
- Department of Radiological Sciences and Center for Artificial Intelligence in Diagnostic Medicine, University of California Irvine, Orange, California
| | - Wei Ling Lau
- Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, University of California Irvine, Orange, California
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Zhou Q, Yu Y, Qin W, Pu Y, Hu S, Tang M, Xu X, Zhao H. Current Status of Ultrasound in Acute Rejection After Renal Transplantation: A Review with a Focus on Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound. Ann Transplant 2021; 26:e929729. [PMID: 33941759 PMCID: PMC8106257 DOI: 10.12659/aot.929729] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Renal transplantation has developed into the best treatment for end-stage renal disease, but severe cases can even lead to loss of renal allograft function due to rejection and complications caused by surgical procedures. If a series of postoperative complications can be reduced or even avoided, the quality of life of recipients will be significantly improved. Acute rejection in a transplanted kidney is one of the main complications after renal transplantation. Early detection and diagnosis will significantly help the prognosis of transplanted kidney patients. As a seminal morphological and hemodynamic examination method, ultrasound can monitor the tissue structure and arteriovenous blood flow of the transplanted kidney, providing information on the transplanted kidney’s gross shape and blood perfusion. Ultrasound is a commonly used detection method after renal transplantation. At present, two-dimensional ultrasound, color Doppler ultrasound, three-dimensional ultrasound, and contrast-enhanced ultrasound have been applied in the monitoring of complications after renal transplantation. Contrast-enhanced ultrasound, as a non-invasive, radiation-free, and easy to perform examination technique, can qualitatively and quantitatively evaluate the microcirculatory blood perfusion of the transplanted kidney. It can reflect the function of the transplanted kidney more objectively and sensitively. In recent years, contrast-enhanced ultrasound has attracted attention as a new technology that can quantitatively monitor the transplanted kidney’s microcirculation perfusion. A large number of studies have shown that contrast-enhanced ultrasound has unique advantages in monitoring acute rejection after renal transplantation compared with other imaging methods, providing a reliable basis for clinical intervention. This article reviews the current status of and recent research on contrast-enhanced ultrasound in acute rejection after renal transplantation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiang Zhou
- Department of Nephrology, Chongqing Southwest Hospital, Chongqing, China (mainland)
| | - Yanjie Yu
- Department of Nephrology, Chongqing Southwest Hospital, Chongqing, China (mainland)
| | - Wenhan Qin
- Department of Nephrology, Chongqing Southwest Hospital, Chongqing, China (mainland)
| | - Youmin Pu
- Department of Nephrology, Chongqing Southwest Hospital, Chongqing, China (mainland)
| | - Shuang Hu
- Department of Nephrology, Chongqing Southwest Hospital, Chongqing, China (mainland)
| | - Maozhi Tang
- Department of Nephrology, Chongqing Southwest Hospital, Chongqing, China (mainland)
| | - Xiaosong Xu
- Department of Nephrology, Chongqing Southwest Hospital, Chongqing, China (mainland)
| | - Hongwen Zhao
- Department of Nephrology, Chongqing Southwest Hospital, Chongqing, China (mainland)
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Putz FJ, Jung EM, Putz C, Banas MC, Bergler T, Vienken J, Banas B. Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasonography as a Novel Method for the Dynamic Visualization of Blood Flow and Fiber Blockage in Dialyzers: A Feasibility Study. ULTRASOUND IN MEDICINE & BIOLOGY 2020; 46:2265-2275. [PMID: 32553530 DOI: 10.1016/j.ultrasmedbio.2020.05.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2019] [Revised: 03/07/2020] [Accepted: 05/05/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
The capillary dialyzer represents the central element of the extracorporeal blood circuit of a therapy system for hemodialysis. The aim of this study was to assess the blood-flow characteristics of dialyzers with the help of modern ultrasound techniques. Five brand-new dialyzers (FX80 classix, Fresenius Medical Care, Bad Homburg, Germany) and five dialyzers after a dialysis session were analyzed by different ultrasound techniques to detect functional and structural changes. B-mode and Doppler techniques were not suitable to describe differences in brand-new and clinically applied dialyzers. Contrast-enhanced ultrasonography, however, was able to visualize blood-flow profiles in the capillaries. Although dialyzers displayed no signs of clinical dysfunction, contrast-enhanced ultrasonography was able to detect blocked capillaries of varying degrees after a dialysis session in all five examined dialyzers. Consequently, the blood-flow velocity was higher in the remaining unblocked capillaries in comparison to the velocity in the brand-new dialyzers. This information may be helpful for improving the geometric design of dialyzers, including their capillary membranes, and optimizing anti-coagulation strategies in hemodialysis patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Franz Josef Putz
- Department of Nephrology, University Hospital Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany.
| | - Ernst Michael Jung
- Interdisciplinary Ultrasound Department, University Hospital Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Christina Putz
- Department of Cardio-thoracic Surgery, University Hospital Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Miriam C Banas
- Department of Nephrology, University Hospital Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Tobias Bergler
- Department of Nephrology, University Hospital Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | | | - Bernhard Banas
- Department of Nephrology, University Hospital Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
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Pajenda S, Rasul S, Hacker M, Wagner L, Geist BK. Dynamic 2-deoxy-2[18F] fluoro-D-glucose PET/MRI in human renal allotransplant patients undergoing acute kidney injury. Sci Rep 2020; 10:8270. [PMID: 32427878 PMCID: PMC7237443 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-65267-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2020] [Accepted: 04/29/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Patients after solid organ kidney transplantation (KTX) often suffer from acute kidney injury (AKI). Parameters as serum creatinine indicate a loss of kidney function, although no distinction of the cause and prognosis can be made. Imaging tools measuring kidney function have not been widely in clinical use. In this observational study we evaluated 2-deoxy-2[18F] fluoro-D-glucose (FDG) PET/MRI in thirteen patients after KTX with AKI as a functional assessment of the graft. Twenty-four healthy volunteers served as control. General kidney performance (GKP), initial flow (IF) and renal response function (RF) were calculated by standardized uptake values (SUV) and time activity curves (TAC). The GKP measured for the total kidney and medulla was significantly higher in healthy patients compared to patients after KTX (p = 0.0002 and p = 0.0004, respectively), but no difference was found for the GKP of the cortex (p = 0.59). The IF in KTX patients correlated with renal recovery, defined as change in serum creatinine 10 days after PET/MRI (r = 0.80, p = 0.001). With regard to the RF, a negative correlation for tubular damage was found (r = -0.74, p = 0.004). In conclusion, parameters obtained from FDG PET/MRI showed a possible predictive feature for renal recovery in KTX patients undergoing AKI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sahra Pajenda
- Department of Medicine III, Division of Nephrology and Dialysis, Medical University of Vienna. Waehringer Guertel 18-20, 1090, Vienna, Austria.
| | - Sazan Rasul
- Department of Biomedical Imaging and Image- Guided Therapy, Division of Nuclear Medicine, Medical University of Vienna. Waehringer Guertel 18-20, 1090, Vienna, Austria
| | - Marcus Hacker
- Department of Biomedical Imaging and Image- Guided Therapy, Division of Nuclear Medicine, Medical University of Vienna. Waehringer Guertel 18-20, 1090, Vienna, Austria
| | - Ludwig Wagner
- Department of Medicine III, Division of Nephrology and Dialysis, Medical University of Vienna. Waehringer Guertel 18-20, 1090, Vienna, Austria
| | - Barbara Katharina Geist
- Department of Biomedical Imaging and Image- Guided Therapy, Division of Nuclear Medicine, Medical University of Vienna. Waehringer Guertel 18-20, 1090, Vienna, Austria
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