9708221 Insana Quantitative ultrasound (QUS) techniques are to be developed to detect early changes in renal microstructure that ultimately lead to end-stage renal disease (ESRD). QUS involves analysis of echo spectra in frequency channels corresponding to scattering from various anatomical scales to measure the size, number density, and collagen content of essential tissue microstructures. These are among the first techniques for analyzing histological properties of tissues in vivo and noninvasively. The incidence of ESRD in the United States is increasing geometrically. Average medicare costs were $46,117 per ESRD patient for a total of $9.5 billion in 1992. A definitive diagnosis of progressive injury leading to ESRD is now based on clinical findings and biopsy; that often occur late in the disease process. Currently no test exists to establish the presence of early kidney injury or to identify populations at risk for whom prevention of progressive injury should be attempted. This investigation will examine the potential of QUS as a safe, inexpensive, and noninvasive method for early detection of renal injury caused by several common conditions including diabetes, hypertension, and cystic kidney disease. This three-year, multidisciplinary research project aims to develop new biomedical instrumentation, experimental techniques, and models of disease processes. If QUS can successfully identify patients at risk for ESRD, the potential to prevent disease would be improved, the net cost of treating the disease would be reduced significantly, and the quality of life for those patients affected would be improved. This research program is part of a new graduate-level Biomedical Engineering Program at the University of Kansas. ***
