Objective: Diabetes Mellitus affects 1-2% of World population and denotes many disorders which share hyperglycemia in common. One of the most serious complications of Diabetes Mellitus is Diabetic Nephropathy which is the most substantial cause of end-stage renal failure, and morbidity and also mortality in diabetic patients. The aim of this study is to determine the values of Apparent Diffusion Coefficient (ADC) with using diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DW-MRI) technique in Diabetic Nephropathy diagnosed patients.

Material and Methods: ADC measurement were performed with kidneys b100, b600, and b1000 values which obtained from renal diffusion weighted echo planar (epi) images of 50 diabetic nephropathy patients and 50 healthy volunteers control group.

Results: Average b100, b600, and b1000 ADC values were found as, 3.33±0.35x10^-3, 3.33±0.35x10^-3, 2.39±0.37x10^-3, 1.97±0.20x10-3 sec/mm² for bilateral kidneys in diabetic nephropathy cases, and 3.42±0.26x10^-3, 2.76±0.32x10^-3, 2.18±0.21x10^-3 sec /mm² for healthy kidneys in control group, respectively. Renal ADC values in terms of b600 (P= 0.001) and b1000 (P= 0.001) were found statistically significantly lower in diabetic nephropathy patients than normal kidneys.

Conclusion: As a result; DW-MRI was considered to be used as an imaging technique in order to help diagnosis and follow-up of diabetic nephropathy in diabetes mellitus patients.