Pulsed Arterial Spin Labeling and Pseudo-Continuous Arterial Spin Labeling MRI for Diagnosis of Renal Insufficiency

Patients with renal artery stenosis (RAS) exhibit changes in renal artery hemodynamics. This study investigated the clinical value of pulsed arterial spin labeling (PASL) and pseudo-continuous arterial spin labeling (pCASL) in diagnosing and grading renal insufficiency in patients with RAS. PASL performed better for measuring renal blood flow (RBF) in the renal cortex to provide differential diagnosis of renal function, while the RBF values obtained with pCASL were more closely correlated with the glomerular filtration rate (GFR). These findings indicate that PASL and pCASL MRI have utility for diagnosing and grading renal insufficiency in patients with RAS.