REPRODUCIBILITY OF HUMAN KIDNEY PERFUSION AND VOLUME DETERMINATIONS WITH ELECTRON-BEAM COMPUTED-TOMOGRAPHY

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES. Alterations in whole kidney, cortical, and m edullary perfusion and volume play a pivotal role in various physiolog ic and pathophysiologic processes. Electron-beam computed tomography ( EBCT) provides accurate measurements of these traits in animals, but t heir reproduciblity in humans has not been established. METHODS. Perfu sion, volume, and flow measurements were obtained by EBCT in eight hea lthy human volunteers under controlled conditions on two consecutive d ays. RESULTS. Mean values for whole kidney, cortical, and medullary pe rfusion and volume obtained with EBCT were similar in scan 1 and scan 2 (P > 0.1), and correlated highly. Coefficients of variation for the repeated measurements usually were less than 14% Values obtained for r enal regional perfusion and volume agreed with previously reported val ues. CONCLUSIONS. Electron-beam computed tomography estimates of singl e whole kidney, cortical, and medullary perfusions and volumes are hig hly reproducible in normal humans, and may be useful to advance unders tanding of renal involvement in human disease.