Experience with color-coded duplex sonography after combined kidney/pancreas transplantation--preliminary results.

The value of color-coded duplex sonography in the assessment of combined kidney and pancreatic transplantations (KTX/PTX) was studied in 9 patients. In normal graft function the median resistive index (RI) was 0.69 (range 0.60-0.80) for the kidney and 0.61 (range 0.55-0.70) for the pancreas. Ten episodes of graft dysfunction (kidney n = 4; pancreas n = 6) were observed. During renal rejection and hemolytic uremic syndrome the RI was above 0.80. In pancreatic rejection the RI exceeded 0.80 while all other causes of pancreatic dysfunction were not associated with changes in the RI. Color-coded duplex sonography may prove to be a reliable noninvasive diagnostic method in the evaluation of the posttransplant course after combined KTX/PTX, in particular in the diagnosis of pancreatic rejection.