Determinants of Renal Micro-Perfusion as Assessed with Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound in Healthy Males and Females.

(1) Background: The renal microcirculation is essential to maintain the renal function, but its determinants in humans have been poorly studied. Contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) allows the non-invasive quantification of the cortical micro-perfusion at the bedside using the perfusion index (PI). The aims of this study were to assess whether differences exist in PI between healthy males and females and to identify clinical determinants associated with cortical micro-perfusion.

Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound and Protein Shakes Are No Alternatives for Inulin Clearance and Meat to Assess Renal Functional Reserve in Humans.

Introduction: The measurement of renal functional reserve (RFR) can unmask glomerular hyperfiltration in residual nephrons, but its determination is time-consuming. In this study, we assessed whether contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) is a valuable alternative to the gold standard inulin clearance and whether L-arginine or protein shakes lead to similar changes in glomerular filtration rate (GFR) as animal proteins in men and women.

Methods: Changes in GFR and renal microperfusion were studied in 25 healthy subjects (8 men, 17 women) by simultaneously performing inulin clearance and CEUS (perfusion index, PI) before and 1 and 2 h after different protein loads (L-arginine, protein shake or meat).

Cortical perfusion as assessed with contrast-enhanced ultrasound is lower in patients with chronic kidney disease than in healthy subjects but increases under low salt conditions.

Background: Disturbances in renal microcirculation play an important role in the pathophysiology of chronic kidney disease (CKD), but the lack of easy accessible techniques hampers our understanding of the regulation of the renal microcirculation in humans. We assessed whether contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) can identify differences in cortical perfusion and alterations induced by different dietary salt intakes in CKD patients and controls.

Methods: Participants underwent CEUS twice: once after 5 days of high-salt (HS) intake, and again after 5 days of low salt (LS) diet.

Reference values and sex differences in absolute and relative kidney size. A Swiss autopsy study.

Background: Men have larger kidneys than women, but it is unclear whether gender remains an independent predictor of kidney size (expressed as weight or length) after correction for body size. We analysed autopsy data to assess whether relative renal length and weight (e.g.