Katherine L. Wright1,
Yong Chen2, Mark A. Griswold, 13, Nicole Seiberlich1,
Vikas Gulani, 12
1Biomedical
Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, United States; 2Radiology,
Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, United States; 3Radiology,
University Hospitals Case Medical Center, Cleveland, OH, United States
3D through-time radial GRAPPA was used to acquire high spatiotemporal resolution data for free-breathing 4D DCE MRI of the kidneys. The data were acquired with a small temporal footprint of 2.2-2.9 s/frame (critical for quantitative analysis), made possible by the high acceleration factor (R=12.6 compared to Nyquist). A 2-compartment pharmacokinetic model of the kidneys was applied and multiple physiological parameters (cortical perfusion, mean transit time in plasma and tubules, and tubular flow) mapped. These measurements are in good agreement with the literature, thus indicating that this method may provide an accurate, quantitative clinical estimate of renal function.