title: Ultrasound-Guided Angioplasty of Dysfunctional Vascular Access for Haemodialysis. The Pros and Cons.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe the benefits and the disadvantages of angioplasty in dialysis fistulas using only ultrasound guidance.
  
  
  METHODS
  This is a prospective study in 132 failing or non-maturing arteriovenous accesses that underwent 189 ultrasound-guided balloon angioplasties. The technical success was defined as non-use of X-ray fluoroscopy during the procedure.
  
  
  RESULTS
  127 procedures (67%) were successfully completed without fluoroscopy. Most failures were due to difficulty to traverse aneurismal segments, as well as anastomotic stenoses. Including initial failures, the primary patency rates at 6, 12 months and 2 years were 75 ± 3, 41 ± 3 and 14 ± 2%, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Endovascular repair of the dysfunctional vascular access for haemodialysis under ultrasound guidance is feasible and safe in roughly two-thirds of cases.
authors.affiliation: Vascular and Interventional Radiology Unit, Department of Radiology, "Reina Sofia" University Hospital, Calle Intendente Jorge Palacios 1, 30003, Murcia, Spain. josegmedina57@gmail.com.
authors.forename: J
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1751-1283
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: García-Medina
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine, University of Murcia, Espinardo, Murcia, Spain.
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: García-Alfonso
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000800:Angioplasty, Balloon / Q000379:methods*; D001164:Arteriovenous Fistula / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D001166:Arteriovenous Shunt, Surgical / Q000009:adverse effects*; D003251:Constriction, Pathologic; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D006435:Renal Dialysis / Q000295:instrumentation*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D018084:Ultrasonography, Interventional; D014654:Vascular Patency; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Angioplasty; Fluoroscopy; Ultrasound; Vascular access