Color Doppler ultrasonography appearances of renal vein thrombosis and its diagnostic value.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate color Doppler ultrasonography (CDU) appearances of renal vein thrombosis (RVT) and its diagnostic value.


METHODS
Ten patients with RVT were analyzed retrospectively. Renal structure, distributions of intrarenal flow signals, echogenicity, and flow fullness in main renal veins were observed with CDU. Resistance index (RI) was recorded from the waveforms of segmental or interlobar renal artery.


RESULTS
Ten kidneys in nine patients were confirmed to have thrombus within the main renal veins, and one patient was confirmed to have thrombus within the small intrarenal veins. The appearances of the main renal vein thrombosis included full of solid echogenicity or strip echogenicity and complete or partial filling defect within the main renal veins, and absent or a few intrarenal venous flow signals in 70% of kidneys involved. The appearances of intrarenal vein thrombosis included obscure renal structure and no venous flow signal within the involved part of the kidneys. Reverse diastolic flow in the intrarenal artery had only a sensitivity of 36% (4/11); in other 7 kidneys without intrarenal arterial reverse diastolic flow, increased RI (mean, 0.84; range, 0.74-0.96) was found.


CONCLUSIONS
CDU is helpful for rapid clinical diagnosis and follow-up of RVT, and therefore can be the first imaging modality of choice for RVT.
Cai
Sheng
S
Department of Ultrasound, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100730.
Zhong
Guang-Xi
GX
Li
Jian-Chu
JC
Xia
Yu
Y
Li
Hui-Jun
HJ
Jiang
Yu-Xin
YX
D006801:Humans; D012079:Renal Circulation; D012082:Renal Veins / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015912:Thrombolytic Therapy; D018615:Ultrasonography, Doppler, Color / Q000379:methods*; D020246:Venous Thrombosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000188:drug therapy