The Key Role of Color Doppler Ultrasound in the Work-up of Hemodialysis Vascular Access

Аннотация

Vascular access (VA) is the lifeline for the hemodialysis patient and the native arterio-venous fistula (AVF) is the first-choice access. Among the different tests used in the VA domain, color Doppler ultrasound (CD-US) plays a key role in the clinical work-up. At the present time, three are the main fields of CD-US application: (i) evaluation of forearm arteries and veins in surgical planning; (ii) testing of AVF maturation; (iii) VA complications. Specifically, during the AVF maturation, CD-US allows to measure the diameter and flow volume in the brachial artery and calculate the peak systolic velocity (PSV) of the arterial axis, anastomosis and efferent vein, to detect critical stenosis.