Journal of Ultrasound in Medicine, Vol 17, Issue 8 505-508, Copyright © 1998 by American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine
Arteriovenous fistula after renal biopsy in children
M. Riccabona, W. Schwinger and E. Ring
Department of Radiology, University Hospital, LKH Graz, Austria.
Our objective was to assess the prevalence and history of arteriovenous
fistula after renal biopsy in pediatric patients by the use of color
Doppler sonography. Fifty patients, aged 6 days to 18.5 years, underwent
sonographically guided renal biopsy. Color Doppler sonography was performed
prior to, during, and after the procedure. Postbiopsy hematoma was detected
in 46 patients (92%), of whom 10 suffered clinically significant bleeds.
Six patients (age range, 8 to 18.5 years) developed postbiopsy
arteriovenous fistula. In three cases the arteriovenous fistula diminished
spontaneously, one persisted without symptoms, and two symptomatic
arteriovenous fistulas needed coil implantation. Color Doppler sonography
demonstrated all arteriovenous fistulas 4 hours after the procedure and
duplex Doppler sonography demonstrated the flow disturbances in the feeding
and draining vessels. We conclude that color Doppler sonography allows
noninvasive detection and follow-up study of postbiopsy arteriovenous
fistula, thus helping to define management after interventional procedures.
