Journal of Ultrasound in Medicine, Vol 8, Issue 11 609-611, Copyright © 1989 by American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine
Duplex ultrasound evaluation of normal native kidneys and native kidneys with urinary tract obstruction
R. H. Gottlieb, K. Luhmann 4th and R. P. Oates
Department of Radiology, State University of New York Health Science Center, Syracuse 13210.
The average resistive indices of 15 native kidneys from 8 patients with no
known renal dysfunction were determined with the Doppler waveform obtained
from the interlobar arteries. The average resistive index for this group
was .58; the highest value was .66. The interlobar arteries of four native
kidneys with urinary tract obstruction as well as those of the
contralateral unobstructed kidneys were evaluated by Duplex ultrasound.
Unilateral urinary tract obstruction was due to a congenital ureteropelvic
junction obstruction in one patient or an acutely obstructing calculus at
the ureterovesical junction in three patients. The average resistive index
of the four obstructed kidneys was .75 and the lowest value was .71. The
average resistive index of the four contralateral unobstructed kidneys in
these patients and the 15 kidneys from patients with no known renal
abnormalities was .58, which was significantly different from the value for
the obstructed kidneys (p less than .005). The resistive index from the
interlobar arteries of normal native kidneys is reproducible as previously
reported in renal transplants. Pathologic renal processes, such as urinary
tract obstruction, may be characterized by abnormally high resistive
indices.
