Detection and quantification of renal fibrosis by computerized tomography

OBJECTIVES: Reliable biomarkers for renal fibrosis are needed for clinical care and for research. Existing non-invasive biomarkers are imprecise, which has limited their utility. METHODS: We developed a method to quantify fibrosis by subject size-adjusted CT Hounsfield units. This was accomplished using CT measurements of renal cortex in previously irradiated non-human primates. RESULTS: Renal cortex mean CT Hounsfield units that were adjusted for body size had a very good direct correlation with renal parenchymal fibrosis, with an area under the curve of 0.93. CONCLUSIONS: This metric is a promising and simple non-invasive biomarker for renal fibrosis.