Detection of water-molecular-motion configuration in patients with lupus nephritis: A primary study using diffusion-weighted imaging.
Background: Lupus nephritis (LN) is one of most common types of secondary glomerulonephritis, which is characterized by longitudinal pathological changes. Microstructural lesions of LN will impact the motion of water molecules, which can be detected by diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI). There are few reported measurements of water diffusion in patients with LN, and the nature of water diffusion across the entire depth of the renal parenchyma remains largely unknown.
Methods: Twenty adult patients with LN and 11 healthy volunteers underwent DWI inspection. Renal biopsy samples were characterized based on the revised ISN/RPS 2003 classification. The apparent-diffusion coefficient (ADC) was calculated via fitting into a mono-exponential model. To compare the ADC level across the entire renal parenchyma between the two groups, repeated-measures analysis of variance (RM-ANOVA) was performed. ADC data derived from DWI pictures were transformed into tridimensional maps by MATLAB software.
Results: Compared with data from healthy volunteers, lower average ADC values with major undulatory magnitudes were found in patients with LN, especially in the cortical zone. Tridimensional maps of patients with LN displayed geographic terrain-like canyons and/or valleys that were different from the corresponding terrain-like flatlands and/or plateaus in healthy volunteers. A heterogeneity of ADC values was found in bilateral kidneys. Left kidneys predominated higher ADC values in patients with LN. The ADC values across the entire renal parenchyma exhibited statistically significant differences among the three identified pathological subclasses (P<0.001).
Conclusions: Analysis of the motion of water molecules across the entire renal parenchyma may be helpful for better understanding the pathological conditions of LN, for which microstructural and functional heterogeneity may be detected and visualized via DWI.
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Posted 13 May, 2020
On 29 Jul, 2020
On 10 Jun, 2020
Received 04 Jun, 2020
On 15 May, 2020
On 07 May, 2020
Received 07 May, 2020
Invitations sent on 06 May, 2020
On 27 Apr, 2020
On 26 Apr, 2020
On 12 Aug, 2019
On 08 Apr, 2020
Received 30 Mar, 2020
On 13 Dec, 2019
Received 16 Sep, 2019
On 02 Sep, 2019
Invitations sent on 25 Aug, 2019
On 29 Jul, 2019
On 28 Jul, 2019
On 28 Jul, 2019
Detection of water-molecular-motion configuration in patients with lupus nephritis: A primary study using diffusion-weighted imaging.
Posted 13 May, 2020
On 29 Jul, 2020
On 10 Jun, 2020
Received 04 Jun, 2020
On 15 May, 2020
On 07 May, 2020
Received 07 May, 2020
Invitations sent on 06 May, 2020
On 27 Apr, 2020
On 26 Apr, 2020
On 12 Aug, 2019
On 08 Apr, 2020
Received 30 Mar, 2020
On 13 Dec, 2019
Received 16 Sep, 2019
On 02 Sep, 2019
Invitations sent on 25 Aug, 2019
On 29 Jul, 2019
On 28 Jul, 2019
On 28 Jul, 2019
Background: Lupus nephritis (LN) is one of most common types of secondary glomerulonephritis, which is characterized by longitudinal pathological changes. Microstructural lesions of LN will impact the motion of water molecules, which can be detected by diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI). There are few reported measurements of water diffusion in patients with LN, and the nature of water diffusion across the entire depth of the renal parenchyma remains largely unknown.
Methods: Twenty adult patients with LN and 11 healthy volunteers underwent DWI inspection. Renal biopsy samples were characterized based on the revised ISN/RPS 2003 classification. The apparent-diffusion coefficient (ADC) was calculated via fitting into a mono-exponential model. To compare the ADC level across the entire renal parenchyma between the two groups, repeated-measures analysis of variance (RM-ANOVA) was performed. ADC data derived from DWI pictures were transformed into tridimensional maps by MATLAB software.
Results: Compared with data from healthy volunteers, lower average ADC values with major undulatory magnitudes were found in patients with LN, especially in the cortical zone. Tridimensional maps of patients with LN displayed geographic terrain-like canyons and/or valleys that were different from the corresponding terrain-like flatlands and/or plateaus in healthy volunteers. A heterogeneity of ADC values was found in bilateral kidneys. Left kidneys predominated higher ADC values in patients with LN. The ADC values across the entire renal parenchyma exhibited statistically significant differences among the three identified pathological subclasses (P<0.001).
Conclusions: Analysis of the motion of water molecules across the entire renal parenchyma may be helpful for better understanding the pathological conditions of LN, for which microstructural and functional heterogeneity may be detected and visualized via DWI.
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
Figure 4
Figure 5