Abstract
According to international guidelines, native arteriovenous fistula (AVF) is the preferred vascular access for hemodialysis. Evaluation and choice of blood vessels suitable for AVF creation have been carried out for decades exclusively through the physical examination of the upper limbs. However, it provides useful information exclusively on the superficial venous system, whereas arterial system can be examined only through the palpation of the arterial pulses and the patency of the palmar arch with the Allen test. The use of Doppler ultrasound (DUS) has increased the number of patients that are eligible for AVF. It allows an accurate measurement of arterial and venous diameters and the capacity of the feeding artery to dilate, therefore optimizing the search for vessels suitable for surgical intervention (preoperative vascular mapping). Furthermore, color Doppler imaging (CDI) has improved the survival of native AVF by increasing the early diagnosis of complications (postoperative surveillance). Access flow assessment in the feeding artery (usually the brachial) by DUS is a well-known predictor of vascular access outcomes. Vessel diameter measurement could also be useful to detect and follow venous stenosis, which represents one of the main causes of AVF failure. CDI is the only imaging technique able to provide both morphological and functional information about native vascular access and it is the only tool directly available to the nephrologist.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Ravani P, Palmer SC, Oliver MJ, et al. Associations between hemodialysis access type and clinical outcomes: a systematic review. J Am Soc Nephrol. 2013;24:465–73.
Gibson KD, Gillen DL, Caps MT, et al. Vascular access survival and incidence of revisions: a comparison of prosthetic grafts, simple autogenous fistulas, and venous transposition fistulas from the United States renal data system dialysis morbidity and mortality study. J Vasc Surg. 2001;34:694–700.
Konner K, Hulbert-Shearon TE, Roys EC, et al. Tailoring the initial vascular access for dialysis patients. Kidney Int. 2002;62:329–38.
Georgiadis GS, Charalampidis DG, Argyriou C, et al. The necessity for routine pre-operative ultrasound mapping before arteriovenous fistula creation: a meta-analysis. Eur J Vasc Endovasc Surg. 2015;49:600–5.
Ilhan G, Esi E, Bozok S, et al. The clinical utility of vascular mapping with Doppler ultrasound prior to arteriovenous fistula construction for hemodialysis access. J Vasc Access. 2013;14(1):83–8.
Shenoy S, Darcy M. Ultrasound as a tool for preoperative planning, monitoring and interventions in dialysis arteriovenous access. AJR Am J Roentgenol. 2013;201(4):W539–43.
Ferring M, Henderson J, Wilmink A, et al. Vascular ultrasound for the pre-operative evaluation prior to arteriovenous fistula formation for haemodialysis: review of the evidence. Nephrol Dial Transplant. 2008;23:1809–15.
Malovrh M. Native arteriovenous fistula: preoperative evaluation. Am J Kidney Dis. 2002;39:1218–25.
Allon M, Lockhart ME, Lilly RZ, et al. Effect of preoperative sonographic mapping on vascular access outcomes in hemodialysis patients. Kidney Int. 2001;60:2013–20.
Wong CS, McNicholas N, Healy D, et al. A systematic review of preoperative duplex ultrasonography and arteriovenous fistula formation. J Vasc Surg. 2013;57:1129–33.
Hossain S, Sharma A, Dubois L, et al. Preoperative point-of-care ultrasound and its impact on arteriovenous fistula maturation outcomes. J Vasc Surg. 2018;68(4):1157–65.
NKF-K/DOQI. Clinical practice guidelines for vascular access update 2006. Am J Kidney Dis. 2006;48(Suppl 1):s176–322.
Ibeas J, Roca-Tey R, Vallespin J, et al. Spanish clinical guidelines on vascular access for hemodialysis. Nefrologia. 2017;37(Suppl 1):1–177.
Zamboli P, Fiorini F, D’Amelio A, et al. Color Doppler ultrasound and arteriovenous fistulas for hemodialysis. J Ultrasound. 2014;17(4):253–63.
Clausen LL. Ultrasound mapping. In vascular accesses for hemodialysis. Castelli P and Setacci P. Edizioni. Minerva Med. 2018;
Wiese P, Nonnast-Daniel B. Colour Doppler ultrasound in dialysis access. Nephrol Dial Transplant. 2004;19:1956–63.
Malovrh M. The role of sonography in the planning of arteriovenous fistulas for hemodialysis. Semin Dial. 2003;16:299–303.
Davidson I, Chan D, Dolmatch B, et al. Duplex ultrasound evaluation for dialysis access selection and maintenance: a practical guide. J Vasc Access. 2008;9:1–9.
Ferring M, Claridge M, Smith SA, et al. Routine preoperative vascular ultrasound improves patency and use of arteriovenous fistulas for hemodialysis: a randomized trial. Clin J Am Soc Nephrol. 2010;5(12):2236–44.
Malovrh M. Non-invasive evaluation of vessels by duplex sonography prior to construction of arteriovenous fistulas for haemodialysis. Nephrol Dial Transplant. 1998;13:125–9.
Silva MB Jr, Hobson RW 2nd, Pappas PJ, et al. A strategy for increasing use of autogenous hemodialysis access procedures: impact of pre-operative noninvasive evaluation. J Vasc Surg. 1998;27:302–7.
Ku YM, Kim YO, Kim JI, et al. Ultrasonographic measurement of intima-media thickness of radial artery in pre-dialysis uremic patients: comparison with histological examination. Nephrol Dial Transplant. 2006;21:715–20.
Wittenberg G, Schindler T, Tschammler A, et al. Value of color coded duplex ultrasound in evaluating arm blood vessels-arteries and haemodialysis shunts. Ultraschall Med. 1998;19:22–7.
Sato M, Io H, Tanimoto M, et al. Relationship between preoperative radial artery and postoperative arteriovenous fistula blood flow in hemodialysis patients. J Nephrol. 2012;25(5):726–31.
Sedlacek M, Teodorescu V, Falk A, et al. Hemodialysis access placement with preoperative noninvasive vascular mapping: comparison between patients with and without diabetes. Am J Kidney Dis. 2001;38:560–4.
Wall LP, Gasparis A, Callahan S, et al. Impaired hyperemic response is predictive of early access failure. Ann Vasc Surg. 2004;18:167–71.
Wong V, Ward R, Taylor J, et al. Factors associated with early failure of arteriovenous fistulae for haemodialysis accesses. Eur J Vasc Endovasc Surg. 1996;12:207–13.
Mendes RR, Farber MA, Marston WA, et al. Prediction of wrist arteriovenous fistula maturation with preoperative vein mapping with ultrasonography. J Vasc Surg. 2002;36:460–3.
Beathard GA, Arnold P, Jackson J, et al. Physician Operators Forum of RMS Lifeline. Aggressive treatment of early fistula failure. Kidney Int. 2003;64:1487–94.
Planken RN, Keuter XH, Hoeks AP, et al. Diameter measurement of the forearm cephalic vein prior to vascular access creation in end-stage renal disease patients: graduated pressure cuff versus tourniquet vessel dilatation. Nephrol Dial Transplant. 2006;21:802–6.
Kim JT, Chang WH, Oh TY, et al. Venous distensibility as a key factor in the success of arteriovenous fistulas at the wrist. Ann Vasc Surg. 2011;25:1094–8.
Jemcov TK. Morphologic and functional vessels characteristics assessed by ultrasonography for prediction of radiocephalic fistula maturation. J Vasc Access. 2013;14:356–63.
Dember LM, Beck GJ, Allon M, et al. Effect of clopidogrel on early failure of arteriovenous fistula for hemodialysis: a randomized controlled trial. JAMA. 2008;299(18):2164–71.
Rayner HC, Pisoni RL, Gillespie BW, et al. Creation, cannulation and survival of arteriovenous fistulae: data from the dialysis outcomes and practice patterns study. Kidney Int. 2003;63:323–30.
Rabbia C, Matricardi L. Eco-Color-Doppler Vascolare. III Edizione: Minerva Medica; 2006.
Zamboli P, Calabria M, Camocardi A, et al. Color-Doppler imaging and arteriovenous fistula: preoperative evaluation and surveillance. G Ital Nefrol. 2012;29(Suppl 57):S36–46.
Lomonte C, Casucci F, Antonelli M, et al. Is there a place for duplex screening of the brachial artery in the maturation of arteriovenous fistulas? Semin Dial. 2005;18(3):243–6.
Smits JH, van der Linden J, Hagen EC, et al. Graft surveillance: venous pressure, access flow or the combination? Kidney Int. 2001;59:1551–8.
Kim YO, Yang CW, Yoon SA, et al. Access blood flow as a predictor of early failures of native arteriovenous fistulas in hemodialysis patients. Am J Nephrol. 2001;21:221–5.
Tordoir J, Canaud B, Haage P, et al. EBPG on Vascular Access. Nephrol Dial Transplant. 2007;22(Suppl 2):ii88–ii117.
Napoli M. Echo color Doppler & vascular access for hemodialysis. Wichtig Editor. 2011;
Quencer KB, Arici M. Arteriovenous fistulas and their characteristics sites of stenosis. Am J Roentgenol. 2015;205:726–34.
Granata A, Zamboli P, Fatuzzo P, et al. US and arteriovenous fistulas for hemodialysis. In: Atlas of ultrasonography in urology, andrology and nephrology: Springer Editor; 2017.
Malik J, Kudlicka J, Novakova L, et al. Surveillance of arteriovenous accesses with the use of duplex Doppler ultrasonography. J Vasc Access. 2014;15(Suppl 7):S28–32.
Schmidli J, Widmer MK, Basile C, et al. Vascular access: 2018 clinical practice guidelines of the European Society for Vascular Surgery (ESVS). Eur J Vasc Endovasc Surg. 2018;55:757–818.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2021 Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Granata, A., Campo, I., Maccarrone, R., Boicef, S., Fulvio, F., Zamboli, P. (2021). The Role of Doppler Ultrasound in Preoperative Vascular Mapping and Postoperative Follow-Up of Arteriovenous Fistula for Hemodialysis. In: Granata, A., Bertolotto, M. (eds) Imaging in Nephrology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-60794-4_24
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-60794-4_24
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-60792-0
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-60794-4
eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)