Study of some echocardiographic changes in patients before and after kidney transplantation

ABSTRACT

Some of the cardiac parameters of 50 patients undergoing regular hemodialysis were studied by M-mode, 2 dimensional and color flow echocardiography, just before then, after successful kidney transplantation. Most of the abnormal pretransplantation echocardiographic findings were improved after kidney transplantation including pericardial effusion, left ventricular dilatation, left ventricular hypertrophy, dilated cardiomyopathy and valvular regurgitation. The improvement also involved end diastolic [diameter/ and volume], end systolic [diameter/and volume], stroke volume, interventricular septal thickness, cardiac output and cardiac index. In some abnormalities e.g cardiac out put and index the improvement was marked in more than 6 months period after transplantation rather than in 3 months period after transplantation; while, in others like left ventricular mass and left ventricular mass index the improvement was marked in both periods