Research progresses of BOLD MRI in evaluation of renal disease

Renal oxygenation plays an important role in maintaining normal function and disease development of kidney. Blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) MRI has recently been utilized as a noninvasive tool for evaluating renal oxygenation, it offers the possibility to measure tissue oxygenation noninvasively, which can be used to understand the metabolism of renal tissue and indirectly reflect the pathophysiological state of kidney. Recently, many investigators have used this method to evaluate cortical and medullary oxygenation in patients with renal artery stenosis, renal allograft function evaluation, diabetic nephropathy, chronic kidney disease, post-contrast acute kidney injury, renal tumor differentiation and drug-induced renal damage. This study reviews the fundamental mechanism of BOLD MRI and its value in evaluating renal disease. (authors)