In vitro magnetic relaxation times of the ischemic and reperfused rabbit kidney: concise communication.

To assess the effects of renal ischemia and reperfusion on in vitro magnetic relaxation times (T1 = magnetization recovery, T2 = spin echo), we evaluated the spectroscopic characteristics of the renal cortex from 25 rabbits. Eight served as controls (Group 1), nine had one renal pedicle ligated for 1 hr (Group 2), and eight (Group 3) were occluded for 1 hr and reperfused for 30 min. For intra-animal comparison purposes, % H2O content, T1 (msec), and T2 (msec) of the ischemic (reperfused) kidney were normalized to the values from the normal kidney within the same animal. Renal ischemia consistently increased water content, which was exaggerated by reperfusion. In association with ischemia, T1 fell, and with reperfusion T1 lengthened. T2 increased with ischemia and declined from the peak ischemic effects with reperfusion.