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Gadolinium-Based Functional MR Urography: From Image Acquisition to Interpretation

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Advanced Clinical MRI of the Kidney

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Abstract

Gadolinium-based functional MR urography (fMRU) offers high spatial, contrast, and temporal resolution, using renal parenchymal signal changes in dynamic T1-weighted images related to uptake and excretion of intravenous administration of a gadolinium-based contrast agent to estimate renal function and contrast clearance times. This technique has been proved to give equivalent information to nuclear medicine renal scans and intravenous urograms without the use of ionizing radiation and with increased anatomic detail. fMRU is increasingly being used to evaluate the urinary tract with both anatomic and functional information. Common applications are related to suspected urinary tract obstruction and estimation of underlying renal function in children but can also help estimating residual renal function during surgical planning.

Familiarity with underlying assumptions and postprocessing steps is needed to generate and interpret functional MRU parameters. In this chapter, we describe fMRU patient preparation, imaging acquisition, and postprocessing including how common quantitative parameters are produced to assist further dissemination and adoption of this technology.

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Abbreviations

CTT:

Calyceal transit time

DRF:

Differential renal function

eGFR:

Estimated glomerular filtration rate

fMRU:

Functional magnetic resonance urography

MTT:

Mean transit time

RTT:

Renal transit time

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiology, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Erika A. Rincon-Escobar, Dmitry Khrichenko & Hansel J. Otero

  2. Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Hansel J. Otero

Authors
  1. Erika A. Rincon-Escobar
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  2. Dmitry Khrichenko
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  3. Hansel J. Otero
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Hansel J. Otero .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiology, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Suraj D. Serai

  2. Department of Radiology, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Kassa Darge

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Rincon-Escobar, E.A., Khrichenko, D., Otero, H.J. (2023). Gadolinium-Based Functional MR Urography: From Image Acquisition to Interpretation. In: Serai, S.D., Darge, K. (eds) Advanced Clinical MRI of the Kidney. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-40169-5_20

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-40169-5_20

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-031-40168-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-031-40169-5

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