Purpose: To refine and evaluate methods for analysis of renal blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) MRI data.
Materials and methods: Color R2* maps and regions-of-interest (ROIs) on the borderline between cortex and medulla were applied to renal BOLD MRI data of a group of 13 young female subjects.
Results: The distribution of R2* within the kidneys was heterogeneous and the response of human kidneys to water diuresis was patchy. R2* values at the cortico-medullary border region have a smaller variation than in wider cortical or medullary regions and are sensitive to physiological changes produced by water diuresis.
Conclusion: These methods provide improved visualization of the regional distribution of R2* and its variations and more precise quantification of the changes in renal R2* produced by water diuresis.
Copyright 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc.