Prospective analysis of pancreatic grafts with duplex-Doppler ultrasound: value of resistive index in the diagnosis of rejection.

The diagnosis of rejection and its differentiation from other causes of pancreatic graft dysfunction remain the basic problem in pancreas transplantation. A previous study with pulsed Doppler (PD) done at our institution demonstrated an increase of the resistive index (RI) during pancreatic graft rejection episodes. The aim of the study was to determine prospectively the utility of duplex-Doppler (DD) ultrasound (US) in identifying the cause of pancreatic graft dysfunction. The major clinical categories were graft rejection and graft pancreatitis.