Correlation between Resistive Index and Glomerular Filtration Rate in Diabetic and Hypertensive Nephropathy

Background: Chronic kidney disease is a morbid condition and its incidence is increasing over a period of time. Various attempts have been done to find a reliable and easily available marker to monitor the progression of the disease. One such indicator is the resistive index which is a noninvasive marker that can be used to look at renal failure. Objective: To validate the relation of the resistive index with glomerular filtration rate so that disease progression can be monitored. Methodology: This comparative study was done at the Department of Urology and Renal Transplantation, DHQ Teaching Hospital Gujranwala, from January 2018 to December 2018. Total 45 patients were enrolled and divided into 3 groups of 15 patients each, 15 patients of diabetic nephropathy, 15 patients of hypertensive nephropathy, and 15 patients were included as the comparison group. GFR and Resistive Index was measured for all patients and correlation was calculated using Pearson test and p-value less than 0.05 taken as significant. Results: The mean age was 48 years (range 38-65 years) in the diabetic group, 39 years (range 32-58 years) in the hypertensive group, and 30.7 years (22-31 years) in the comparison group. Mean RI was 0.74 in the diabetic group, 0.75 in the hypertensive group, and 0.61 in the control group. High RI was significantly associated with low GFR. Conclusion: On the renal duplex ultrasonography resistive index can be a helpful predictor for renal progression in patients with moderate renal deterioration due to diabetes and hypertension.