High-Framerate Dynamic Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound Imaging of Rat Kidney Perfusion

Diabetic kidney disease (DKD) causes pathophysiological changes resulting in vascular injury. Conventional tests for urinary albumin and glomerular filtration rate lag behind kidney damage. We hypothesize that dynamic contrast-enhanced ultrasound (DCEUS) imaging as well as power Doppler using microbubble contrast agents may serve as early markers for DKD screening. We implement plane-wave contrast-enhanced ultrasound imaging on the Verasonics Vantage to perform high-framerate DCEUS and contrast-enhanced power Doppler imaging. Here, we demonstrate that high-framerate imaging does not provide significant improvements to DCEUS, making clinical machines reasonable for use in studying the fast-flowing kidney cortex. Furthermore, we show how temporal filter-based power Doppler with contrast agents allows for the visualization and quantification of flow in the slow medullary regions of the kidney.