Evaluation of transplant renal artery blood flow by Doppler sound-spectrum analysis
E. R. Reinitz, M. H. Goldman, J. Sais, S. E. Rittgers, H. M. Lee, G. Mendez-Picon, W. F. Muakkassa and R. W. Barnes
Doppler ultrasonography sound-spectrum analysis (SSA) was used to evaluate
blood flow in the transplanted kidney and its renal artery. Seven patients
with posttransplant hypertension and a bruit over the transplanted kidney
were screened for renal artery stenosis (RAS). In five patients, RAS was
diagnosed by SSA, and in two it was not. These findings were confirmed by
subsequent angiography in all patients. Three patients studied after
surgical correction of their RAS had improvement in their SSA patterns.
Fourteen hypertensive patients with a cause other than RAS were evaluated
by SSA. None of them had SSA findings suggestive of RAS. Doppler
ultrasonography with SSA is an effective, noninvasive technique of
monitoring transplant renal blood flow, especially in the screening of
hypertensive transplant recipients for transplant RAS.
