Abstract #2673

ASL, BOLD, and Phase Contrast MRI Measurements in the Kidneys of Normotensive and Hypotensive Swine.

David Joseph Niles¹, Andrew L. Wentland^1,2, Nathan S. Artz¹, Thomas M. Grist^1,2, Sean B. Fain^1,2, Aji Djamali³, Elizabeth A. Sadowski²

¹Medical Physics, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine & Public Health, Madison, WI, United States; ²Radiology, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine & Public Health, Madison, WI, United States; ³Nephrology, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine & Public Health, Madison, WI, United States

Functional MR imaging techniques provide a non-invasive method for studying renal physiology. This study measured blood flow in the main renal artery using phase contrast MR, cortical and medullary perfusion using ASL and oxygenation using BOLD MR imaging sequences, in normotensive and hypotensive swine. Our results demonstrate medullary oxygenation is maintained despite a decrease in renal artery blood flow and regional tissue perfusion in the hypotensive states. This has been previously demonstrated by others with invasive probes in animals. Our functional renal MR techniques may be applied to future studies in humans to study blood flow and oxygenation simultaneously.