Functional mr imaging in native kidney dysfunction

The accurate assessment of kidney function is important in both clinic and research; during the last decade this necessity led advances in MRI techniques to enable the noninvasive investigation of renal disease. Many structural and functional pathological changes can be assessed by advanced MRI techniques: renal vascular structure and function (DCE-MRI and ASL), tissue oxygenation (BOLD-MRI), renal tissue injury and fibrosis (DWI, DTI, and MR elastography), renal metabolism, nephron endowment, and sodium concentration (Na-MRI). This chapter investigates well-validated functional MRI techniques as well as some emerging new techniques which might evolve into clinically useful tools.