title: Renal vascular Doppler ultrasonographic indices and carotid artery intima-media thickness in diabetic nephropathy.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Diabetes is one of the common causes of renal insufficiency and is responsible for about one third of cases requiring renal transplantation. Conventional sonography provides limited information regarding the severity and prognosis of disease. The present study was carried out to evaluate the renal vascular Doppler indices role in determining renal dysfunction and carotid artery atherosclerosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifty five patients with diabetic nephropathy (albuminuria more than 300mg/24 hours) were enrolled into this cross-sectional study. Renal interlobar arterioles were studied using resistive (RI) and pulsatility (PI) indices of Doppler ultrasonography, in addition to conventional kidney length and renal parenchyma thickness. Intima-media thickness of common carotid artery (CCIMT) was also assessed just before the bifurcation. Serum creatinine (sCr), urine albumin and lipid profile were measured using standard methods. Estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) was calculated by the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease formula.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The renal interlobar arterioles' RI was positively and linearly correlated with the sCr and albuminuria levels (P<0.039 r= +0.320 and P=0.047, r= +0.287). There were negative linear correlations between eGFR and the renal interlobar arterioles' RI (P<0.001, r=-0.539) and PI (P<0.045, r= -0.328). The mean CCIMT was more than 0.7 mm in 90% of the studied patients. No correlation was found between CCIMT and renal ultrasonographic and Doppler findings.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although Doppler ultrasonographic indices of renal interlobar arteriols show the severity of renal dysfunction in patients with diabetic nephropathy, these indices do not have any advantage over the simple and cost effective biochemical parameters.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran. Dr.Naghavii@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ghadirpour
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
authors.forename: Mohamad-Kazem
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Tarzamni
authors.affiliation: Medical Philosophy and History Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Science, Tabriz, Iran.
authors.forename: Mohammad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Naghavi-Behzad
authors.affiliation: Department of Nephrology, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
authors.forename: Sima
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Abedi-Azar
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
authors.forename: Hossein
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Koushavar
authors.affiliation: The Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Sciences, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Nariman
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Nezami
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001160:Arterioles / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology; D059168:Carotid Intima-Media Thickness; D003404:Creatinine / Q000097:blood; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D003928:Diabetic Nephropathies / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D005260:Female; D005919:Glomerular Filtration Rate / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007668:Kidney / Q000098:blood supply*; D007676:Kidney Failure, Chronic / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011673:Pulsatile Flow / Q000502:physiology; D012016:Reference Values; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D018608:Ultrasonography, Doppler; D014655:Vascular Resistance / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D003404:Creatinine