ABSTRACT
Objective: To evaluate renal tissue oxygenation level and its correlation with blood glucose level after hypoglycemic therapy in diabetic patients using BOLD-MRI. Methods Renal BOLD-MRI scans were performed on 23 patients with type 2 diabetes (diabetic group) before and after hypoglycemic therapy and 23 normal controls (control group). R2* values of renal cortex and medulla were measured and statistically analyzed. Results R2* value of renal cortex in diabetic group and control group were lower than that of renal medulla (all P<0.001). R2* value of renal medulla in diabetic group before hypoglycemia was higher than that after hypoglycemia and in control group (both P=0.001), and there was no significant difference of R2* value of renal medulla between diabetic group after hypoglycemia and control group (P=0.941). There was no significant difference in renal cortical R2* value among diabetic group before and after hypoglycemia and control group (P=0.572). R2* value of renal medulla was positively correlated with blood glucose level (r=0.365, P=0.002), while of renal cortex had no correlation with blood glucose level (r=-0.014, P=0.908). Conclusion: Hypoglycemic treatment can help to improve oxygenation of renal medulla in diabetic patients. BOLD-MRI can be used to evaluate changes of renal oxygen content before and after hypoglycemic treatment.