Monoexponential, biexponential, stretched-exponential and kurtosis models of diffusion-weighted imaging in kidney assessment: comparison between patients with primary aldosteronism and healthy controls

摘要

Abstract Purpose This study used various diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) models (including monoexponential, biexponential, stretched-exponential and kurtosis models) in renal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to compare whether there were differences in each diffusion parameter between patients with primary aldosteronism (PA) and healthy volunteers.Materials and methods Twenty-two (female:male, 14:8; age, 48?±?10?years) patients with PA and 22 age- and sex-matched healthy controls (HCs) underwent MRI examinations of the kidneys. The independent-sample t test or the Mann?Whitney U test was used to detect differences in the diffusion metrics of the kidneys between the two groups. Univariable and multivariable linear regression were applied to analyze the correlations between diffusion parameters and the clinical indicators.Results The mean diffusivity (MD, p?