Clinical value on quantitative analysis of renal perfusion in acute kidney injury by contrast enhanced ultrasound

Objective To quantitatively analyze the changes of renal contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) parameters in patients with acute renal injury (AKI), and to evaluate the clinical value of CEUS in evaluating the renal perfusion changes in AKI. Methods Thirty patients with AKI were enrolled as patient group from December 2015 to June 2017, and then were subdivided into two subunits according to prognosis of the disease, which were recovery group and non-recovery group. Thirty-two healthy volunteers were enrolled as control group from March to May 2017. Contrast-enhanced ultrasound examinations with low mechanical index (MI) technology and SonoVue bolus injection were performed on all patients and volunteers. The parameters of CEUS were compared and analyzed among these three groups. Results The differences of PI, MTT, AUC, TP1/2 and TTP in renal cortex were statistically significant among the 3 groups (F=69.33, 20.36, 69.88, 25.80, 3.63, all P<0.05). The differences of RT, PI, MTT, AUC, TP1/2 and TTP in medulla were also statistically significant (F=22.01, 37.72, 27.67, 47.39, 33.52, 8.65, all P<0.01). The cortical and medullary PI, AUC, MTT, TP1/2 of recovery group were greater than those of non-recovery group (PI, AUC, P<0.01; MTT, TP1/2, P<0.05). Conclusion Quantitative evaluation of AKI renal perfusion by contrast-enhanced ultrasound is of clinical value in evaluating renal function and prognosis in patients with AKI. Key words: Acute kidney injury; Contrast-enhanced ultrasound; Renal circulation