Alternating current susceptometry, a simple and affordable technique, was employed to study the sensitivity of this approach to assess rat kidney perfusion by the injection of 200 mu L of magnetic nanoparticles with a concentration of 23 mg/mL in the femoral vein and the measurement of the signal above the kidney. The instrument was able to detect the signal and the transit time of the first and second pass were measured in five animals with average values of 13.6 +/- 4.3 s and 20.6 +/- 7.1 s. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)