Initial Experience of Hyperpolarized [1-13C]pyruvate MRI in Kidney Transplant Patients

We present our initial experience of applying hyperpolarized (HP) [1-13C]pyruvate MRI in three patients with renal allograft. The pyruvate metabolism to lactate and bicarbonate in two patients with well functioning allografts and normal biopsy was in the range of healthy native kidneys. The allograft pyruvate metabolism in the third patient with reduced eGFR was higher than that of healthy native kidneys. Study is ongoing to establish the range of pyruvate metabolism in normal allografts and to correlate pyruvate metabolism to allograft biopsy. This study paves the way for investigation of HP MRI in the noninvasive assessment of kidney allograft injury.