Sonography of arteriovenous fistulae in hemodialysis patients.

In 88 chronic hemodialysis patients with clinically presumed fistula or graft complications the vascular access was investigated by ultrasonography. In 18 patients stenoses of the fistulae, in 24 patients partial or complete thrombosis, in 7 patients aneurysms and in 4 patients perivascular hematomas could be demonstrated precisely by ultrasonographic images. In 17 patients the preoperative sonography corresponded well with intraoperative findings. No sufficient information was obtained in cases of intra-luminal vessel diameters smaller than 3 mm. In complications or malfunctions of the vascular access of hemodialysis patients, noninvasive ultrasonography is suggested as the initial imaging procedure.