Duplex Doppler Sonography to Predict Response to Therapy in Active Lupus Nephritis

Objective: Duplex Doppler sonography had been applied to examine various renal disorders such as renal allograft rejection, obstructive kidney disease, renovascular hypertension, and parenchymal renal disease. Materials and methods: The goals of our study were: 1) to evaluate the relationship between resistance index (RI), measured by duplex Doppler sonography, and results of renal biopsy; 2) to determined the value of RI for predicting response to therapy in patients with lupus nephritis. Forty-four patients with initially diagnosis of lupus nephritis was enrolled and duplex Doppler sonography examinations were performed immediately before the renal biopsy. After six months of therapy, predictors of response to therapy were analyzed. Results: The results showed that 1) the chronicity index (CI) of renal biopsy was significantly higher in 21 patients with increased RI, when compared with 23 patients with normal RI (4.67 ± 2.31 versus 1.74 ± 1.21, p<0.001); 2) twenty-two patients without response to treatment of immunosuppressive agents had increased RI, when compared with 22 patients with response (0.76±0.12 versus 0.66±0.07, p=0.001); 3) increased RI was significantly associated with an increased likelihood of poor response to treatment according to stepwise regression model. Discussion: The present study demonstrates the RI of duplex Doppler sonography had a good correction with CI of renal biopsy and could predict response to treatment.