Longitudinal Multi-Modality MRI–Ultrasound Cyst-Level Analysis of Polycystic Kidney Disease in a Feline Model

Longitudinal Multi-Modality MRI–Ultrasound Cyst-Level Analysis of Polycystic Kidney Disease in a Feline Model | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Longitudinal Multi-Modality MRI–Ultrasound Cyst-Level Analysis of Polycystic Kidney Disease in a Feline Model Naruhiko Nakanishi This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8667717/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Polycystic kidney disease (PKD) in Persian cats is commonly monitored using total kidney volume (TKV); however, this kidney-level metric does not capture heterogeneity in individual cyst dynamics. Here, a reproducible longitudinal imaging framework integrating volumetric magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with serial ultrasound (US) is presented, enabling cyst-level analysis in a feline PKD model followed over two years. MRI-based volumetry quantified individual cyst growth rates and identified structural coalescence events, defined as the reproducible loss of visible boundaries between adjacent cysts without implying luminal communication. Serial US provided high-frequency temporal context and supported MRI-defined trends. The analysis revealed marked asymmetric progression, with significant enlargement and coalescence of right-sided cysts, while left-sided cysts remained stable. This dual-modality approach demonstrates that the integration of volumetric MRI with serial ultrasound enables the identification of unilateral acceleration and cyst-level structural remodeling that may be overlooked by kidney-level volumetrics alone. Although limited to a single case, the standardized and open-source workflow establishes a reproducible framework with potential applicability to human autosomal dominant PKD imaging research. Animal Science Polycystic kidney disease (PKD) Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) Ultrasound imaging Cyst-level analysis Cyst coalescence Full Text Additional Declarations The authors declare potential competing interests as follows: The author (Naruhiko Nakanishi, PhD; Takeru Lab) is the owner of the study subject (Aiko) and is the inventor on multiple patent applications filed with the Japan Patent Office (August 6, 2025). These interests did not influence the study design, data analysis, interpretation of results, or the conclusions presented. The author declares no other competing interests. Supplementary Files NakanishiFelinePKDMRIUSSIRS.pdf Supplementary Information Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-8667717","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":578711109,"identity":"05eede27-04e0-46bc-ae18-b9ec0008feb8","order_by":0,"name":"Naruhiko Nakanishi","email":"data:image/png;base64,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","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0009-0007-4462-9280","institution":"Takeru Lab, Tokyo, Japan","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Naruhiko","middleName":"","lastName":"Nakanishi","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2026-01-22 09:17:39","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":{"humanSubjects":false,"vertebrateSubjects":true,"conflictsOfInterestStatement":true,"humanSubjectEthicalGuidelines":false,"humanSubjectConsent":false,"humanSubjectClinicalTrial":false,"humanSubjectCaseReport":false,"vertebrateSubjectEthicalGuidelines":true},"doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8667717/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-8667717/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":100952046,"identity":"0ddb057e-b2ae-41ad-aefe-0d909cfe8b98","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-01-23 07:11:45","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":1160586,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"NakanishiFelinePKDMRIUSRS.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8667717/v1_covered_034192d1-39a6-49fc-a1af-ba0d862390af.pdf"},{"id":100939893,"identity":"17b0470e-e573-4783-b692-72118f910510","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-01-23 04:19:34","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"supplement","size":172952,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eSupplementary Information\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"NakanishiFelinePKDMRIUSSIRS.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8667717/v1/c5c91ac2d310a60ed801d452.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"The authors declare potential competing interests as follows: The author (Naruhiko Nakanishi, PhD; Takeru Lab) is the owner of the study subject (Aiko)\nand is the inventor on multiple patent applications filed with the Japan Patent Office (August\n6, 2025). 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