Recent Advances in Magnetic Resonance Imaging Assessment of Renal Fibrosis

CKD is a global public health problem. Renal fibrosis is a final common pathway leading to progressive loss of function in CKD. The degree of renal fibrosis predicts the prognosis of CKD. Recent studies have shown that bone marrow-derived fibroblasts contribute significantly to the development of renal fibrosis, which may yield novel therapeutic strategy for fibrotic kidney disease. Therefore, it is imperative to accurately assess the degree of renal fibrosis noninvasively to identify those patients who can benefit from antifibrotic therapy. In this review, we summarize recent advances in the assessment of renal fibrosis by magnetic resonance imaging.