Study questions DECT’s role in identifying kidney-related gout deposits
Dual-energy computed tomography (DECT) is not effective in detecting true monosodium urate (MSU) crystal deposits in the kidneys or renal arteries in patients with gout and CKD, according to a study. While DECT can help identify chronic asymptomatic urolithiasis, it may misclassify uric acid stones as MSU when using default settings.
Researchers conducted DECT scans on 27 patients with stage 2-4 CKD, analyzing the kidneys, renal arteries, knees, and feet. The study found no evidence of MSU crystal deposition in the kidneys. Although MSU-coded plaques were detected in the renal arteries of 5 patients, their DECT characteristics suggested early calcified plaques rather than actual MSU deposits. In addition, 2 cases of uric acid urolithiasis were misclassified as MSU using default DECT settings but were correctly identified with specialized “kidney stone” settings.
The researchers concluded that DECT is not reliable for detecting MSU deposits in the kidneys or renal arteries but may help characterize chronic asymptomatic urolithiasis.
Reference
Pascart T, Dauphin E, Yokose C, et al. The role of renal dual-energy computed tomography in exploring the gouty kidney: the RENODECT study. Ann Med. 2025;57(1):2458783. doi: 10.1080/07853890.2025.2458783. Epub 2025 Jan 29. PMID: 39881533; PMCID: PMC11784065.
