Study on renal perfusion of chronic renal failure in rabbits with contrast-enhanced ultrasound / 中华超声影像学杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To assess renal perfusion of chronic renal failure(CRF) at different stages in rabbits by contrast-enhanced ultrasound. Methods Fifteen rabbits were injected cationic bovine serum albumin(C-BSA) intravenously for 8 weeks to establish CRF models. Serum creatinine(Scr) and blood urea nitrogen(BUN) were determined before injection and 2,4,6,8 weeks after C-BSA injection respectively. The size of kidney was measured by two-dimensional ultrasound and contrast-enhanced ultrasound was performed on bilateral kidneys at the same time points. Renal perfusion was analyzed quantitatively with the time intensity curve. Results Renal cortical perfusion reduced started at 4weeks after injection,manifested as the peak signal intensity(PSI) of the time-intensity curve parameters decreased(P<0.05 or P <0.01). The speeds of perfusion and clearance of kidney were slower,showed as the time to peak intensity(PIT) and the time to half of peak intensity(HPT) delayed (P <0.05 or P <0.01). Compared with pre-injection, there were no differences in terms of the area under the curve(AUC) at 2,4 and 6 weeks after injection (all P> 0.05). And compared with pre-injection,2,4,6 weeks after injection, the AUC decreased at 8 weeks (P < 0.05 or P <0.01 ). The level of Scr and BUN of rabbits had increased since 6 weeks after injection (P< 0.05 or P <0.01). Two-dimensional ultrasound showed the renal volume was enlarged and the cortex was thickened from 2 weeks to 6 weeks after injection (P<0.05 or P <0.01). At 8 weeks after injection, the renal size had decreased as well (P < 0.05). These ultrasound changes were in accordance with its pathological changes. Conclusions Contrast-enhanced ultrasound in combination with time-intensity curve can quantitatively analyze the renal perfusion of CRF at different stages. The reduction of renal perfusion was earlier than the changes of routine laboratory indexes in rabbits with CRF. The haemodynamic changes of CRF rabbit were closely related with its pathological changes.