Abstract：Objective: To evaluate virtual touch tissue quantification(VTQ) imaging in chronic kidney disease. Methods: VTQ, given shear wave velocity(SWV), of the renal parenchyma was measured in 107 patients with chronic kidney disease and 20 healthy volunteers. The mean SWV measurements were compared in different stage groups and control volunteers. Correlations between SWV measurements and clinical stage or serum creatinine were investigated. Results: The mean SWV in stage 2, stage 3, stage 4 and stage 5 patients with chronic kidney disease were significantly lower than that in stage 1 and volunteer groups(P<0.001); There were significant differences between stage 4, stage 5 vs stage 1, stage 2 and stage 3 patient groups(P<0.05); SWV did not differ significantly in stage 4 vs stage 5, stage 2 vs stage 3, and stage 1 vs control volunteers(P=0.996, 0.339, 0.139, respectively). The mean SWV of renal parenchyma were negatively correlated with clinical stage(Spearman r=-0.596, P<0.001) and serum creatinine(Pearson r=-0.458, P<0.001). Conclusions: VTQ imaging is a promising noninvasive technique for evaluation renal elasticity in chronic kidney disease patients.
2013, Vol. 24 
