title: Surgical complications of renal transplantation: ultrasound diagnosis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Ultrasound is the principal imaging technique for the evaluation of a renal allograft; it is a safe imaging technique to assess the structure of the graft and its perfusion without the need for intravenous contrast or ionizing radiation. The evaluation of kidney transplant complications is easy due to its presence in the iliac fossa lying anterior to the external iliac vessels. Complications may be classified as medical and surgical; the latter are classified in urologic, vascular and general surgical complications.
  
  
  METHODS
  Our experience on surgical complications in kidney recipients from donors, on the role of ultrasound in the diagnosis of these complications and their impact on the graft and patient survival rates is reported.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Ultrasonography represents a safe imaging technique to assess the structure of the graft and its perfusion without the use of ionizing radiation and iodinated contrast medium, and a quick, accurate method for the evaluation of complications.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although it possesses limitations and is ultimately operator dependent, ultrasound is considered an excellent tool for the assessment of the kidney transplant and in our experience it represents the main imaging technique used in the evaluation of graft complications.
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency and Organ Transplantation - Urology, Andrology and Kidney Transplantation Unit - University of Bari, Italy. martino@urologia.uniba.it
authors.forename: Pasquale
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Martino
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lucarelli
authors.forename: Silvano
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Palazzo
authors.forename: Michele
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tedeschi
authors.forename: Stefano Vittorio
authors.initials: SV
authors.lastname: Impedovo
authors.forename: Vito
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Di Lorenzo
authors.forename: Pasquale
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ditonno
authors.forename: Michele
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Battaglia
authors.forename: Francesco Paolo
authors.initials: FP
authors.lastname: Selvaggi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D006801:Humans; D016030:Kidney Transplantation / Q000009:adverse effects*; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology; D014463:Ultrasonography