The aim of this research was to explore the effect of nursing intervention on self-management and quality of life in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) by using the renal diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) feature of image registration algorithm. A total of 100 patients with CKD were randomly divided into experimental group (nursing maintenance guidance intervention) and control group (routine nursing), with 50 cases in each group. The image effect before and after registration, self-management behavior after 6 months, quality of life, DTI-related parameters, and renal function indicators were collected and analyzed. The results showed that the images were clearer than those before registration, the self-management ability in the control group (92.81 ± 19.32) was smaller than that in the experimental group (107.12 ± 18.78), the quality of life in the experimental group (121.47 ± 11.21) was greater than that in the control group (104.89 ± 12.11), and the corresponding magnetic resonance apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) (2.54 ± 0.28) and fractional anisotropy (FA) (0.28 ± 0.07) in the cortex were greater than those in the control group (2.35 ± 0.21, 0.23 ± 0.04). The differences were statistically significant ( P < 0.05 ). The corresponding ADC value (2.32 ± 0.22) and FA value (0.59 ± 0.02) of medulla were greater than those of the control group (2.12 ± 0.24 and 0.41 ± 0.17). The levels of serum creatinine (Scr) (μmol/L) (421.38 ± 42.78) and 24 h urinary protein (24 h-Upro) (mg/d) (1,836.7 ± 545.98) were lower than those of the control group, and the differences had statistical significance ( P < 0.05 ). In summary, the registration algorithm can enhance the effect of image presentation and nursing intervention has positive significance for the self-management and quality of life of patients with CKD.