Weekly issue 2026-W40 ·
A rapid automated segmentation method for total kidney volume measurement on unenhanced computed tomography in autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease
Plain language
Total kidney volume helps doctors judge how fast ADPKD may progress, but measuring it by hand on scans takes experts about 30 minutes. A computer program measured it from CT scans without contrast dye in about 5 seconds, matching the experts almost exactly, including when kidney growth was tracked over time. It still needs testing in other hospitals, but it could make this measurement easier to get.
Clinical note
nnU-Net model trained on unenhanced CT from 236 patients (111 ADPKD); independent validation in 70 ADPKD patients (20 with longitudinal scans) against radiologist-corrected semi-automated reference. Mean Dice 0.96; volumetric ICC 0.999, bias −0.14%, precision ±2.09%; longitudinal growth ICC 0.99 (bias −0.64%, ±4.81%). ~5 s vs ~30 min per case. Enables Mayo imaging classification from non-contrast CT; single-centre development, external multi-vendor validation still needed.
Question for your next visit
Has my total kidney volume been measured, and could an existing scan be used to estimate my Mayo risk class?