Identification of Early-stage Renal Abnormalities by Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Chronic Heart Failure Patients: A Preliminary Study

Motivation: The prevalence of impaired renal function is high in chronic heart failure (HF). However, renal abnormalities are faced with difficulties in early diagnosis. Goal(s): Identification of preclinical pathophysiological changes of kidney by multiparametric MRI in chronic HF patients. Approach: Chronic HF with eGFR>60 ml/min/1.73 m2 and healthy volunteers underwent multiparametric MRI. RBF, T1 relaxation time, T2 relaxation time, R2*, and ADC values of renal cortex were measured and compared between the patients and controls. Results: Chronic HF group demonstrated higher R2* values (p=0.043) and lower RBF values (p<0.01) than control group. The other three parameter values showed no statistically significant difference between groups. Impact: In this preliminary study, we revealed that even with preserved estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), patients with chronic heart failure demonstrated subclinical pathophysiological, including decreased perfusion and hypoxia. The association could be a potential target for diagnosis and protective treatment.