Journal of Ultrasound in Medicine, Vol 18, Issue 3 177-183, Copyright © 1999 by American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine
Volume flow measurement in hemodialysis shunts using time-domain correlation
F. Basseau, N. Grenier, H. Trillaud, C. Douws, A. Saint-Amon, V. de Precigout and C. Combe
Service de Radiologie, Groupe Hospitalier Pellegrin, Bordeaux, France.
Volume flow was measured in 58 hemodialysis shunts (32 grafts and 26 radial
fistulas) using the color velocity imaging-quantification method. This
method is based on time-domain correlation for velocity calculation and
integration of time-varying velocity profiles generated by M-mode sampling.
Measurements were made in the brachial artery to estimate radial fistula
flow or directly in the grafts. Intraoperator reproducibility was 14.9% for
fistulas and 11.6% for grafts. Flow rate was significantly lower in
abnormal shunts associated with a functional disorder or a morphologic
complication (808 ml/min +/- 484) than in shunts associated with no
abnormalities (1401 ml/min +/- 562). Receiver operating characteristic
curves showed that a flow rate of 900 ml/min for fistulas and 1300 ml/min
for grafts provided 81% and 79% sensitivity and 79% and 67% specificity,
respectively. A functional disorder or a morphologic complication was
associated with all fistulas and grafts in which flow rates were lower than
500 ml/min and 800 ml/min, respectively.
