Magnetic resonance angiography of renal transplants.
Stenosis of the artery of transplanted kidneys is an important cause of graft dysfunction. Diagnosis and follow-up of this condition normally requires intra-arterial digital-subtraction angiography (IADSA), which is invasive and may cause complications. A possible alternative to IADSA is magnetic resonance angiography (MRA), and we have assessed this technique in 50 renal transplant patients who were referred for investigation of possible renal arterial stenosis. In every patient, MRA was compared prospectively with conventional IADSA. Compared with IADSA, MRA had a sensitivity of 83% and a specificity of 97%, and when all images were graded retrospectively for severity of stenosis, the two techniques showed a significant correlation (r = 0.74, p less than 0.001). MRA can provide an accurate image of the renal transplant artery in a non-invasive manner with a high sensitivity and specificity.
Department of Radiology, St. Mary's Hospital, London, UK.
W M
WM
Gedroyc
R
R
Negus
A
A
al-Kutoubi
A
A
Palmer
D
D
Taube
B
B
Hulme
D015901:Angiography, Digital Subtraction / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016030:Kidney Transplantation; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000295:instrumentation*; D008297:Male; D012077:Renal Artery / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*