If you are doing polycystic kidney disease research, an MRI or CT scan may contain useful biomarkers such as total kidney volume (TKV) or cyst volume.
TraceOrg extract these imaging biomarkers from abdominal MRI and CT imaging studies into organized PKD volume reports for research workflows. TraceOrg can measure kidney volume, renal cyst volume, calculate Mayo Imaging Classification, and assess kidney growth over time for research purposes.
This guide explains the most important terms in plain language: TKV, htTKV, Mayo class, and longitudinal tracking.
TraceOrg is intended for research use and expert review. It does not replace your doctor, nephrologist, radiologist, or care team.
Why Imaging Matters in PKD Research
Blood tests, urine tests, blood pressure, symptoms, family history, and genetics all are important PKD metrics. Imaging adds another layer of information: kidney volume and cyst volume.
In ADPKD, cysts can grow and enlarge the kidneys. Kidney volume can change before a major change appears in routine kidney function numbers such as eGFR. That is why total kidney volume is widely used as an imaging marker for ADPKD progression.
What Is TKV?
TKV means total kidney volume. It is the sum of right and left kidney volumes:
left kidney volume + right kidney volume = total kidney volume
For example, if the left kidney is 600 mL and the right kidney is 650 mL, the TKV is 1,250 mL.
In PKD, TKV matters because cyst growth enlarges the kidneys. Rate of kidney enlargement may decrease with an effective intervention showing the research subject is responding to the intervention. Alternatively, if the intervention does not slow down the rate of kidney enlargement, then the research subject may be a non-responder.
What Is htTKV?
htTKV means height-adjusted total kidney volume. It adjusts TKV for a person’s height:
htTKV = TKV divided by height in meters
This matters because the same kidney volume may mean something different for a shorter person than for a taller person. Mayo Imaging Classification uses height-adjusted TKV and age to help classify typical ADPKD.
What Is Mayo Imaging Classification?
Mayo Imaging Classification groups typical ADPKD into classes 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, and 1E. These classes are based on age and height-adjusted total kidney volume.
In general, class 1A suggests slower estimated kidney growth, while class 1E suggests faster estimated kidney growth. The result still needs expert interpretation and the rest of the person’s health context.
A key point: Mayo Classification is not for every PKD case. Mayo’s classification page says it should be applied only to patients with typical ADPKD, ages 15-80. Atypical PKD patterns may need different expert interpretation. Mayo ADPKD Classification page
What Does Longitudinal Mean?
Longitudinal means following something over time. For PKD imaging, longitudinal tracking compares kidney volume across more than one scan.
One scan can show kidney size at one moment. Several scans can show a pattern. TraceOrg’s longitudinal PKD plot turns repeated imaging studies into a visual summary, where each point represents one study and the trend line estimates how kidney volume changes over time.
A longitudinal plot is descriptive. It can show what changed, but it does not prove why the change happened.
Untility of TraceOrg PKD Research Metrics
Total kidney volume: the combined volume of the left and right kidneys.
Left and right kidney volume: separate measurements for each kidney.
Renal cyst volume and cyst burden: a summary of cyst volume in the kidneys.
Liver volume when available: useful because liver cysts can also occur in ADPKD.
Mayo Imaging Classification: a class from 1A to 1E for typical ADPKD, based on age and height-adjusted TKV.
Longitudinal growth tracking: a way to compare multiple scans over time and to evaluate if a research intervention is slowing down the kidney growth rate
TraceOrg’s PKD workflow page describes organ volume, renal cyst volume, Mayo Classification, and longitudinal reporting as core parts of the workflow. View the PKD workflow
What You Need Before Using TraceOrg
Before using TraceOrg, first anonymize your images. DICOM images can be anonymized according to the suggestions in our tutorial on image anonymization.
NIFTI images are already anonymized.
Note that if your images are not completely anonymized, TraceOrg will perform a complete anonymization utilizing the browser software on your computer before proceeding with uploading the images to ensure no protect health information arrives on the TraceOrg server.
Upload the original ZIP file or the full unzipped folder, and keep the folder structure unchanged. Both approaches can work if the full DICOM package is preserved.
Do not upload screenshots, JPEG or PNG images, photos of a screen, a PDF report, a single image slice, or the viewer app from a CD/DVD.
A written report can be helpful for your records, but it usually does not contain the full image data needed for volume measurement. Read the image upload guide
How to Use TraceOrg for PKD
Get your MRI or CT imaging files.
Download the full imaging study from your patient portal, imaging portal, hospital records office, PACS system, or CD/DVD. If you are requesting files, ask for the full imaging study in DICOM format.
Keep the full folder or ZIP file together.
Do not pick out individual files. Do not upload only the images that look important. A correct DICOM package may contain many folders and files, and the structure helps TraceOrg read the study correctly.
Create or open a PKD subject.
For PKD outputs, TraceOrg uses basic subject information such as a pseudo subject name, birth year, and height. Height is especially important because Mayo Classification uses height-adjusted TKV.
Upload the study.
Upload the abdominal MRI or CT study using the PKD workflow. TraceOrg supports DICOM files, DICOM ZIP, DICOM folders, and NIfTI volume for the PKD workflow.
Run the PKD workflow.
TraceOrg labels organs and tissues, calculates volumes, supports quality review, and generates reports for expert review.
Review the results carefully.
Before interpreting a trend, check the study dates, birth year, height, subject identity, segmentation quality, and whether the volume table includes the studies you expected.
Add older or follow-up scans.
Longitudinal tracking becomes more useful when you have more than one scan under the same subject.
How to Read a TraceOrg PKD Report
Total kidney volume: the overall size of both kidneys together.
Height-adjusted TKV: kidney volume adjusted for height.
Mayo class: a 1A-1E class for typical ADPKD using age and htTKV.
Cyst volume: a measure of cyst burden in the kidneys.
Longitudinal plot: a timeline showing kidney volume across scans.
Segmentation or QA snapshots: images that help reviewers check whether the computer-labeled kidney and cyst regions look reasonable.
What TraceOrg Does Not Do
TraceOrg does not replace care. It does not diagnose PKD by itself, decide treatment, provide emergency advice, or prove why kidney volume changed. TraceOrg is research-stage software, and its outputs are designed for expert review rather than direct diagnosis or treatment decisions.
Privacy and Image Uploads
TraceOrg is built around anonymized MRI and CT uploads. Users should remove protected health information before upload and make sure they have the right to use or share the imaging files.
Where files live, who can access them, and how deletion works are spelled out in plain language in the TraceOrg Data & Privacy statement.
Quick FAQ
What does TKV mean? TKV means total kidney volume, the volume of the left and right kidneys added together.
What does htTKV mean? htTKV means height-adjusted total kidney volume, which is TKV divided by height in meters.
Can I upload a PDF report? No. A PDF report alone is not enough for kidney-volume measurement. Upload the full imaging package.
Can TraceOrg use MRI and CT? Yes. The PKD workflow accepts abdominal MRI or CT as DICOM files, DICOM ZIP, DICOM folder, or NIfTI volume.
Is my imaging data private? Yes. Uploads are stored on TraceOrg’s own servers, are never shared with third parties, and you can delete them at any time. See the Data & Privacy statement for the full details.