From donor to recipient. Doppler US, power US and scintigraphy of kidney perfusion before and after transplantation.

PURPOSE

To follow kidneys from the donor to the recipient by assessing whether perfusion changes occur by using duplex Doppler US, power Doppler US and scintigraphy.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

The prospective study included 12 donors and their corresponding 12 recipients. For each donor, both donor kidneys were evaluated by duplex Doppler US, power Doppler US and scintigraphy 1 day before surgery. The same procedure was carried out on the renal allografts at days 1, 3, 5 and months 1 and 3 post-transplantation. Power Doppler findings were classified according to a grading system of 1 to 4. Resistive indices (RIs) were determined based on interlobar and segmental arterial flow. Peak systolic velocity and RIs of the main renal artery were also measured. A perfusion parameter named the peak-to-plateau ratio was calculated. Statistical analysis was performed using the paired-samples t-test.

RESULTS

Intrarenal RI elevation and decreased renal artery peak systolic velocity was observed in normally functioning recipient kidneys.

CONCLUSION

Duplex Doppler sonography demonstrated that transplanted kidneys had an increase in intrarenal vascular resistance at 1 month and a decrease in renal artery peak systolic velocity at 3 months post-transplantation. Scintigraphy and power Doppler US did not reveal any statistically significant perfusion change in normally functioning kidneys from donor to recipient.