We examined the usefulness of the spiral intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM) sequence in measuring the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) of the kidneys. Five volunteers and five patients with chronic renal failure underwent diffusion-sensitive magnetic resonance imaging of the kidneys with the spiral IVIM sequence. The ADC values in patients with chronic renal failure were significantly lower than those in the renal cortex of volunteers. The mean value of ADC in patients with chronic renal failure was lower than that in volunteers, although there was no statistically significant difference. In volunteers, the ADC of the renal cortex was significantly higher than that of the renal medulla. The phantom study indicated that the accuracy of ADC depended on the signal to noise ratio. A spiral IVIM sequence with a high enough signal to noise ratio may be useful in evaluating renal function especially that of the cortex.