Imaging fibrosis in pediatric kidney transplantation: A pilot study

Abstract

Background

Noninvasive alternatives to biopsy for assessment of interstitial fibrosis and tubular atrophy (IFTA), the major determinant of kidney transplant failure, remain profoundly limited. Elastography is a noninvasive technique that propagates shear waves across tissues to measure their stiffness. We aimed to test utility of elastography for early detection of IFTA in pediatric kidney allografts.

Methods

We compared ultrasound (USE) and MR elastography (MRE) stiffness measurements, performed on pediatric transplant recipients referred for clinically indicated biopsies, and healthy controls.

Results

Ten transplant recipients (median age 16 years) and eight controls (median age 16.5 years) were enrolled. Three transplant recipients had “stable” allografts and seven had Banff Grade 1 IFTA. Median time from transplantation to biopsy was 12 months. Mean estimated glomerular filtration rate was 61.5 mL/min/1.73m ² by creatinine‐cystatin‐C CKiD equation at time of biopsy. Mean stiffness, calculated through one‐way ANOVA, was higher for IFTA allografts (23.4 kPa USE/5.6 kPa MRE) than stable allografts (13.7 kPa USE/4.4 kPa MRE) and controls (9.1 kPa USE/3.6 kPa MRE). Pearson's coefficient between USE and MRE stiffness values was strong ( r = .97). AUC for fibrosis prediction in transplanted kidneys was high for both modalities (0.91 USE and 0.89 MRE), although statistically nonsignificant ( p > .05). Stiffness cut‐off values for USE and MRE were 13.8 kPa and 4.6 kPa, respectively. Both values yielded a sensitivity of 100% but USE specificity (72%) was slightly higher than MRE (67%).

Conclusion

Elastography shows potential for detection of low‐grade IFTA in allografts although a larger sample is imperative for clinical validation.