BBG/VIS Seminar: GFR Estimation using the Patlak Model

Speaker: Eyram Schwinger (master student)

Currently, GFR is measured by using Creatinine clearance Although this  is ok, it has the limitation of estimating the GFR for both kidneys so if GFR is seen to be low, further tests are needed to determine the actual failing kidney. A lot of research is going on to use MRI for the estimation of single kidney GFR and the result of some of these research are mathematical models that can be used to estimate single kidney GFR.

The Patlak model is a two compartment model used for single kidney GFR estimation which took root initially in the domain of nuclear medicine. Today it is one of the models used to estimate GFR from MRI images. In this presentation, we discuss the model as related to MRI, the assumptions it makes, and how we use the model to estimate GFR we also discuss some problems that can be faced with this model and give and example of it's use with an MRI image of the left kidney