MR Elastography assessment of renal tissue biomechanics.
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Magnetic Resonance Elastography assessment of renal tissue biomechanics. The MERiT study.
IRAS ID
165481
Contact name
Vicky Goh
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
King's College London
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 0 months, 0 days
Research summary
A single center prospective cohort exploratory study.
Its primary objective is to assess whether Magnetic Resonance Elastography is a reliable technique when applied to the kidney of healthy volunteers and whether it has the potential to help differentiate benign from malignant kidney tumours in patients with small kidney tumours planned for surgical resection.
The detection of small kidney tumours (less than 4cm in diameter) is becoming more and more common in clinical practice and poses a significant challenge: up to 20% of these tumours are benign and it is unclear how best to manage patients with tumours that may not cause significant harm during their lifetime. Active surveillance may be more appropriate than immediate intervention in selected patients.
Imaging with Magnetic Resonance Elastography (MRE) has a potential role in this setting. MRE is emerging as a useful technique in clinical practice. It uses low frequency propagating mechanical waves (similar to sound waves) to assess the tissue’s stiffness or elasticity. It can be easily incorporated in a standard MRI scan.
Up to 10 healthy adult volunteers will be recruited via King’s College London (KCL) advertisement. Up to 20 adult patients with a solid renal tumour greater than 2cm in diameter, referred to Guy’s & St Thomas’ (GSTT) for surgery, will be additionally recruited.
Healthy volunteers and patients will be invited for a single MRI scan, including MRE, which will be performed within the premises of King's College London/Guy's & St Thomas' NHS Trust.
The research data derived from the MRI scan will be processed and analysed; for patients, it will be correlated with pathological data derived from the surgical resection specimen.
The study will run for 24 months, starting in January 2015.REC name
Wales REC 6
REC reference
15/WA/0007
Date of REC Opinion
29 Dec 2014
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion