Correlation between Shifted Apparent Diffusion Coefficient of the Renal Parenchyma and Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rates: A Pilot Study

This retrospective study investigated the correlation between shifted apparent diffusion coefficient (sADC) of the kidney measured using diffusion-weighted imaging obtained with b = 200, 1500 and estimated glomerular filtration rates (eGFR), and the performance in discriminating patients with impaired renal function was compared between sADC and ADC. sADC of the renal cortex showed the highest correlation coefficient in correlation with eGFR. In discriminating cases with eGFR <45, <60, or <90, sADC of renal cortex showed higher area under the curve compared to ADC, although the difference was not significant. sADC might be more useful in predicting renal function than ADC.