Evaluation of kidney injury using IVIM and DKI MRI in patients with chronic heart failure

Motivation: Early-stage kidney injury diagnostics have limited sensitivity and accuracy in patients with heart failure (HF). How HF affects the kidneys remains unclear. Goal(s): We aimed to evaluate intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM) and diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI) in detecting renal abnormalities in these patients. Approach: Thirty-seven HF patients with preserved or impaired renal function and 20 healthy volunteers were recruited. D, D*, f, MD, and MK parameters from IVIM- and DKI-derived models were analyzed. Results: Renal cortical D and medullary D and MD differed significantly among the groups. D values were positively correlated with the estimated glomerular filtration rate. Impact: IVIM and DKI provide sensitive biomarkers, including IVIM-derived renal cortical and medullary D and DKI-derived medullary MD, which might be valuable for noninvasively detecting renal injury and its underlying mechanisms in patients with chronic heart failure.