Renal transplant assessment with color and pulsed Doppler ultrasonography. 2nd part: inmunomedical complications

We have performed 304 serial explorations in 140 renal transplant (Tx) recipients (42 recent and 98 past patients), assessing the morphological aspect of the graft (Size, surface, thickness and echogenicity of the parenchyma, corticomedullary index and renal sinus index), vascular permeability and the morphology of the arterial and venous waves, with calculation of the resistance indices (RI). We have compared these findings with those observed in a control group of 45 recipients with normally functioning grafts, comparing the different pathologies with respect to analytical, isotopic and histological findings. Doppler is a highly sensitive method for detecting processes that increase parenchymal resistance (rejection, acute tubular necrosis, cyclosporine toxicity, disease recurrence, infection, etc), but its specificity is poor. In past Tx recipients, chronic dysfunction or failure is the principal object of interest, while in the immediate postoperative period, it is important to compare the results of basal and follow-up studies. In acute tubular necrosis, the IR were not seen to deteriorate, in contrast to the findings in acute vascular rejection, and inversion of the diastolic pressures is a sign of poor prognosis. Despite the performance of other tests, biopsy is necessary in many cases to identify the etiology. (Author) 9 refs