Type:
Educational Exhibit
Keywords:
Vascular, Ultrasound physics, Ultrasound-Colour Doppler, Ultrasound-Power Doppler, Ultrasound-Spectral Doppler, Arterial access, Complications, Venous access, Fistula, Not applicable, Performed at one institution
Authors:
A. B. Onofre Chen1, C. S. Kiebert1, E. L. Politani1, A. Cavalanti1, P. C. Francolin1, M. C. Chammas2, G. G. Cerri1; 1São Paulo/BR, 2São Paulo, SP/BR
DOI:
10.26044/ecr2020/C-14769
Background
An acquired arteriovenous fistulas (AVF) is the method of choice for vascular access in chronic renal failure patients under long-term hemodialysis.
AVF creation is a procedure that connects an artery to a superficial vein.
It is preferably done as distal as possible in the non-dominant arm, so the proximal vessels are preserved for future access. The fistulas are usually radial-cephalic (wrist) and brachial-cephalic (elbow).
This can either be a native AVF or a synthetic connection using PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene) graft. Native ones are preferable due to greater patency as well as lower rates of complications compared with arteriovenous grafts and catheters.
Color Doppler ultrasound is an excellent noninvasive, low cost, with no ionizing radiation method and it is the main tool of diagnostic imaging to analyze the feasibility of arteriovenous fistulas, maturity, efficiency, and their possible complications.
Vascular procedures and their complications represent a major cause of morbidity, hospitalization and cost for patients in hemodialysis.