[Color doppler ultrasound in intensive care monitoring after liver transplantation].

The aim of this study was to investigate whether vascular complications after liver transplantation can be diagnosed prior to their clinical and/or biochemistral appearance. Therefore color coded ultrasonography was performed daily in 22 liver patients with altogether 27 transplanted organs. We found 2 arterial thromboses, one partial thrombosis of the portal vein and one thrombosis of the lower vena cava and another two stenoses of the lower vena cava. Angiography was performed in all patients with positive findings after duplex-sonography, except in the 2 patients with cava stenosis. In our experience angiography can be avoided in all patients after a normal duplex-sonogram. However, the early diagnosis of vascular complications prior to the manifestation of a dysfunction of the transplant could not be reached in this study.