Renal MRI findings and their clinical associations in nephropathia epidemica: analysis of quantitative findings

Morphologic renal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings in patients with nephropathia epidemica (NE) were evaluated, and these findings were correlated with the clinical course of NE. Renal MRI was performed in 20 hospitalized NE patients during the acute phase of their disease. A repeat MRI study was made 5–8 months later. Renal parenchymal volume, renal length and parenchymal thickness were decreased in all patients in the repeat study. Edema/fluid collections were found bilaterally in 16 patients in the primary MRI study. Greater change in parenchymal volume, renal length and parenchymal thickness between the primary and the repeat MRI study as well as the presence of edema/fluid collections in the primary study evinced mild association with clinical fluid volume overload, high blood pressure level, inflammation, thrombocytopenia and severe clinical renal insufficiency. Change in parenchymal volume was associated with a severe clinical course more markedly than the other MRI findings. Measurable renal MRI changes occurred in every NE patient. The severity of the findings in MRI evinced mild association with clinical fluid volume overload, high blood pressure level, inflammation, thrombocytopenia and severe clinical renal insufficiency. Based on this study and our previous ultrasound (US) findings, we prefer US as the primary examination mode in NE patients.