High-Frequency US for BK Polyomavirus–associated Nephropathy after Kidney Transplant

Background BK polyomavirus-associated nephropathy (BKPyVAN) is an important cause of chronic renal allograft dysfunction. However, US features indicative of BKPyVAN have not been fully evaluated. Purpose To assess the value of high-frequency US for the diagnosis of BKPyVAN in kidney transplant recipients. Materials and Methods In this prospective cohort study, participants who tested positive for BK viruria after kidney transplant from September 2019 to January 2021 were evaluated with high-frequency US 1 day before biopsy. Clinical characteristics and US features were compared between participants with and without BKPyVAN. Significant predictors associated with BKPyVAN were determined using logistic regression analyses. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) was used to evaluate diagnostic performance. Results A total of 105 participants who underwent kidney transplant (mean age, 38 years ± 11 [SD]; 63 men) were evaluated; 45 participants were diagnosed with BKPyVAN. Multivariable analysis demonstrated that eccentric hydronephrosis and subcapsular hypoechoic areas were independent factors for BKPyVAN. The AUC for predicting BKPyVAN according to subcapsular hypoechoic areas was 0.66 (95% CI: 0.55, 0.77), with a specificity of 92% (55 of 60 participants). The AUC of combined US (eccentric hydronephrosis plus subcapsular hypoechoic area) and clinical (urine BKPyV DNA load [BKPyV-DNA] plus BK viremia) features was 0.90, with a specificity of 92% (55 of 60 participants). Parenchymal hyperechoic and subcapsular hypoechoic areas were independent factors for differentiating BKPyVAN from transplant rejection. The pooled specificity of subcapsular hypoechoic areas was 96% (21 of 22 participants), with an AUC of 0.67 (95% CI: 0.54, 0.80). For the combination of US (parenchymal echogenicity plus subcapsular hypoechoic area) and clinical (urine BKPyV-DNA plus time since transplant) features, the AUC reached 0.92 and specificity was 82% (18 of 22 participants). Conclusion High-frequency US characteristics are valuable for diagnosing BK polyomavirus-associated nephropathy (BKPyVAN) and distinguishing BKPyVAN from rejection in kidney transplant recipients. © RSNA, 2022 Online supplemental material is available for this article.