Potential value of three-dimensional ultrasonography in diagnosis of diabetic nephropathy in Chinese diabetic population with kidney injury

Background To explore the potential value of three-dimensional ultrasonography (3DUS) and contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) in the diagnosis of diabetic nephropathy (DN) in Chinese diabetic patients with kidney injury. Methods Patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and kidney injury in our hospital were enrolled, and the clinical characteristics as well as the laboratory data of patients were collected; 3DUS and CEUS were used to evaluate the morphological structure and blood perfusion of kidneys. Eligible patients were categorized into two groups based on renal biopsy results: DN group and non-diabetic renal diseases (NDRD) group. Correlation analysis and logistic regression analysis were applied to identify the risk factors of DN development. Results A total of 115 patients aged from 24 to 78 years old were recruited in the experiment, of which 64 patients (55.65%) and 51 patients (44.35%) were in the DN group and NDRD group, respectively. After correction to CKD stage, BMI and right kidney volume index were retained to identify patients with DN. The ROC of the logistic regression model had an AUC of 0.703 (95% CI: 0.591–0.815) and it was higher than both indicators. Conclusion 3DUS has potential value in the diagnosis of diabetic nephropathy in Chinese diabetic population with kidney injury and may act as an auxiliary diagnosis for DN. More prospective and well-designed studies with larger samples are needed to verify the result.