Laboratory Investigation

Kidney International (1997) 51, 50–56; doi:10.1038/ki.1997.7

Relationship between MRI and morphometric kidney measurements in diabetic and non-diabetic rats

Thora Christiansen1, R Rasch1, H Stødkilde-Jørgensen1 and A Flyvbjerg1

1Experimental MRI-Center, University Hospital, and Department of Cell Biology, Institute of Anatomy, and Institute of Experimental Clinical Research, University Hospital, University of Aarhus, Aarhus, Denmark

Correspondence: Dr Thora Christiansen, Experimental MRI-Center, University Hospital, Skejby Sygehus, DK-8200 Aarhus N, Denmark.

Received 22 May 1996; Revised 26 August 1996; Accepted 26 August 1996.

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Abstract

Relationship between MRI and morphometric kidney measurements in diabetic and non-diabetic rats. The aim of the present study was to determine the applicability of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) as a non-invasive measure of kidney volume in vivo in diabetic and non-diabetic rats. Magnetic resonance, T1 weighted Spin Echo, images were obtained after injection of contrast in anesthetized control (N = 14) and hyperglycemic streptozotocin (STZ)-diabetic rats (N = 14). On MRI imaging the total kidney, cortex, medullary and pelvic volumes were calculated. Immediately after MRI measurements the left kidneys were removed before weighing either as a clamped kidney weight (that is, the kidney containing blood and urine) or as a wet kidney weight (the kidney drained of blood and urine), while the right kidneys were perfusion-fixed for morphometric measurements. On thin kidney slices obtained from perfusion-fixed kidneys the cortex, medullary and pelvic fractions were measured and subsequently the cortex, medulla and pelvic volumes were calculated. The cortical volume was measured according to three different approaches. The corticomedullary boundary was defined either to the arcuate arteries, to a curved line following the glomeruli, or to a line at the top of the medullary rays. Both in control and diabetic rats, MRI measured kidney volumes were similar to the volume of perfusion-fixed kidneys, while the clamped kidney weight, and in particular the wet kidney weights, were smaller than the MRI obtained volumes. Good agreement was found between the MRI measured cortex and medulla volumes when the cortex was defined to the top of the medullary rays in the morphometric analysis. In conclusion, the present study demonstrates that MRI allows a reliable non-invasive estimate of renal morphology at a macroscopic level in both diabetic and non-diabetic rats.

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