Abstract
Background
Every year, thirty-five thousand patients receive renal transplants worldwide. Kidney transplant provides better quality of life and reduced morbidity. Doppler and sonography were the best imaging modalities for evaluation.
Aims
To assess the sonographic findings of renal allograft and to determine the correlation between Doppler resistive index and size of allograft and echogenicity.
Methods
This was a cross-sectional study conducted in Khartoum State from January to August 2016. A total of 86 patients with known transplanted kidneys were scanned with ultrasound using 3MHz and 5MHz transducers. The age was categorized into four groups and so the Doppler indices. Descriptive statistics used to analyse quantitative and qualitative variables (percent and means +/- SD). Spearman's rho test was used to find the correlation between RI of renal vessels and allograft size. The Qui-square test was used to find an association between RI and echogenicity of the graft.
Results
Renal transplantation was common at the age of 20 to 50 years. The mean Doppler index of the renal artery was 0.68 +/- 0.11 in renal allografts. Renal transplantation was common in professionals and homemakers (30.2 per cent and 20.93 per cent respectively). Hypertension and diabetes were the most common causes (44.1 per cent and 18.6 per cent). A significant correlation was found between RI and allograft size (p-value=0.012). There was no statistical association between RI and echogenicity of allograft (p-value=0.106).
Conclusion
The Doppler resistive index is significantly correlated with allograft size and had no association with echogenicity. Patients with enlarged allograft had raised resistive indices. The study recommended that Duplex ultrasound should be used in the initial assessment and follow-up of renal transplant.