Comparison of the SonoSite and Acuson 128/XP10 ultrasound machines in the 'bed-side' assessment of the post liver transplant patient.

Hepatic artery thrombosis after liver transplant is associated with biliary sepsis and irretrievable loss of the graft. Early identification of hepatic artery thrombosis, using a 'high-specification' ultrasound machine incorporating spectral Doppler, is crucial to patient management in the postoperative period with portable ultrasound as the first line of investigation for evaluation of the hepatic artery. We evaluated the efficacy of the SonoSite portable ultrasound machine, which uses power Doppler only, in the evaluation of the post transplant hepatic artery. An Acuson 128/XP10 ultrasound machine was used as the comparison 'reference-standard' with identification of the hepatic artery by both colour and spectral Doppler trace. The SonoSite accurately identified the hepatic artery in 88.4% of patients with power Doppler. The SonoSite was easier to transport and manage at the bedside leading to considerable time saving. In 11.6% of patients a repeat ultrasound using the 'reference-standard' machine would be necessary.