Computation of the Texture Features on T2-Weighted Images as a Novel Method to Assess the Function of the Transplanted Kidney: Primary Research.

Texture in medical images describes the internal structure of human tissues or organs. We hypothesize that textural analysis (TA) could be applied to assess renal function after kidney transplantation (KTx). This preliminary study aims to find a statistical difference between texture features in transplanted kidneys with different placement of region of interest (ROI). Also, we aimed at comparing results of TA with transplanted kidney function. For analysis, we used 9 retrospective examinations in patients with a transplanted kidney. All patients underwent a diagnostic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan, including T2-weighted images. All MRI acquisition was performed using a 1.5T MRI (MAGNETOM Aera, Siemens Healthineers AG, Erlangen, Germany). Examinations were performed from indications other than KTx and in various times after KTx. We found an association between the texture parameters and the estimated glomerular filtration rate (4p estimate formula: Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration [CKD-EPI]) and between texture parameters and creatinine in ROI location in the cortex. Our findings make TA a promising tool for the assessment of the function of the transplanted kidney. However, the effect of binning, ROI size, and placement of ROI in the organ are yet to be determined and need further study.