Abstract
Background
Arterial and venous thrombosis are feared complications of pancreas transplantation (PTx). Microbubble contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) is a non-invasive imaging technique that can augment diagnostic capabilities of transplant organ perfusion.
Purpose
To document the state to which CEUS can improve the vascular evaluation of PTx compared to conventional Doppler ultrasound (US) directly after surgery.
Material and Methods
A total of 129 consecutive PTx in 128 adult patients were eligible for inclusion. The duodenal segment of the graft was anastomosed to the native duodenum. Within 12 h postoperatively, graft circulation was monitored by Doppler US in 116 PTx performed in 116 patients (69 men, 47 women; mean age =41 years). CEUS was performed with a sulfur hexafluoride-containing contrast agent (SonoVue) intravenously if the examiner was not able to confirm normal graft circulation. Image quality was documented by two independent observers on a 4-point scale: 1 = excellent; 2 = minor diagnostic limitations; 3 = major diagnostic limitations; and 4 = non-diagnostic.
Results
In the early postoperative phase, 79 (68%) of 116 PTx were examined with Doppler US only. Of these, 52 were of excellent quality (grade 1), 22 of good quality (grade 2), and five were of grade 3 or 4 quality. Thirty-seven (32%) examinations were supplemented by CEUS. CEUS significantly improved examination quality compared to Doppler US alone (median visualization score 1.5 vs. 2.5, respectively; P < 0.0001).
Conclusion
CEUS can significantly improve vascular evaluation of PTx compared to Doppler US alone in the early postoperative phase.
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