A comparison of health-related quality of life in chronic intestinal failure and end-stage kidney disease: A cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: There is inequal access to treatment and scarce evidence on how the disease burden in chronic intestinal failure (CIF) compares to other chronic nonmalignant types of organ failure. Therefore, we compared the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of people with CIF with that of people with end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) receiving hemodialysis (HD). These groups were selected for comparison as they have similar treatment characteristics. We hypothesized that people treated with HD and people with CIF had similarly poor HRQOL. METHODS: HRQOL was evaluated and compared in a cross-sectional study of adult people with CIF and people with ESKD HD at a tertiary hospital in Denmark, using the Short-Form 36 (SF-36). RESULTS: One hundred forty-one people with CIF and 131 people with ESKD receiving HD were included in the analysis. Both groups reported low scores (<50) for HRQOL on general health, vitality, and role limitation-physical. People with ESKD receiving HD had significantly lower scores than people with CIF regarding physical functioning, general health, and vitality when adjusted for sex and age. No significant difference was found for any other SF-36 domain. CONCLUSION: HRQOL was similarly and significantly reduced in people with CIF and in people with ESKD receiving HD. People with ESKD receiving HD had significantly poorer HRQOL than people with CIF in some aspects of physical and mental health. Access to home parenteral support treatment varies among countries that typically provide HD, suggesting an inequality in healthcare based on the type of organ failure.

Elevated intraneural vascularization of the median nerve proximal to the arteriovenous fistula in hemodialysis patients suspected of carpal tunnel syndrome: A case series.

Patients with end-stage kidney disease may require creation of an arteriovenous fistula in order to receive hemodialysis treatment. The creation may result in several complications, including carpal tunnel syndrome. Early diagnosis and treatment are essential to relieve symptoms, prevent permanent nerve damage, and improve quality of life. However, the sensory and motor disturbances resembling carpal tunnel syndrome could be related to other etiologies than external compression of the median nerve underneath the transverse ligament. This case report presents eight patients with a radiocephalic arteriovenous fistula, who all had symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome. Ultrasonographic examination showed a segmental intraneural hypervascularization of a large vessel inside the median nerve proximal to the wrist and arteriovenous fistula anastomosis with garland-like course as well as multiple flow velocities. The neurophysiological findings showed a significant decreased velocity in the ipsilateral forearm to the arteriovenous fistula.

Co-Occurrence of Prevalent Symptoms in Patients Receiving Hemodialysis - A Cross-Sectional Survey.

Patients with chronic kidney disease undergoing hemodialysis generally have a significant symptom burden, which may interfere with their quality of life. The aim of this study was to identify the prevalence of fatigue, pain, anxiety, and depression in patients on hemodialysis and analyze their co-occurrence. A cross-sectional study used self-reported measures. A total of 242 patients aged 18 years or older were initially screened; 141 were included in the study; 129 answered the questionnaires (response rate 91%). Preva lences were 24.8% had moderate to severe fatigue, 38.0% had pain, 32.6% had anxiety, and 29.5% had depression. The prevalence of coexistent moderate to severe symptoms ranged from 15.5% to 25.6%. Further research is needed to better understand the symptom burden and their co-occurrence in patients receiving hemodialysis.

Cardiac arrhythmia and hypoglycaemia in patients receiving haemodialysis with and without diabetes (the CADDY study): protocol for a Danish multicentre cohort study.

INTRODUCTION: Patients receiving haemodialysis are at increased risk of arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death, but data on arrhythmia burden and the pathophysiology remain limited. Among potential risk factors, hypoglycaemia is proposed as a possible trigger of lethal arrhythmias. The development of implantable loop recorders (ILR) and continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) enables long-term continuous ECG and glycaemic monitoring. The current article presents the protocol of a study aiming to increase the understanding of arrhythmias and risk factors in patients receiving haemodialysis. The findings will provide a detailed exploration of the burden and nature of arrhythmias in these patients including the potential association between hypoglycaemia and arrhythmias. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: The study is an investigator-initiated, prospective, multicentre cohort study recruiting 70 patients receiving haemodialysis: 35 with diabetes and 35 without diabetes. Participants are monitored with ILRs and CGM for 18 months follow-up. Data collection further includes a monthly collection of predialysis blood samples and dialysis parameters. The primary outcome is the presence of clinically significant arrhythmias defined as a composite of bradycardia, ventricular tachycardia, or ventricular fibrillation. Secondary outcomes include the characterisation of clinically significant arrhythmias and other arrhythmias, glycaemic characteristics, and mortality. The data analyses include an assessment of the association between arrhythmias and hypoglycaemia and hyperglycaemia, baseline clinical variables, and parameters related to kidney failure and the haemodialysis procedure. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The study has been approved by the Ethics Committee of the Capital Region of Denmark (H-20069767). The findings will be presented at national and international congresses as well as in international peer-reviewed scientific journals. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT04841304.

The impact of caring on caregivers of patients with life-threatening organ failure.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed at characterizing 3 populations of family/friend caregivers of patients with different life-threatening organ failure regarding health-related quality of life, caregiver burden, and dyadic coping. METHODS: Three cross-sectional (population) studies were conducted at a tertiary hospital in Denmark (2019-2020). Patients with renal failure (RF), cystic fibrosis (CF), and intestinal failure (IF) were asked to designate the closest person with ≥18 years old involved in the care (caregiver) to participate in this study. Number of caregivers included were RF = 78, CF = 104, and IF = 73. Electronic questionnaires were filled in by caregivers to assess health-related quality of life and caregiver burden and by caregivers and respective patients to assess dyadic coping. RESULTS: The 3 caregiver groups had self-perception of poor health and energy; however, caregivers of CF patients perceived their physical role functioning better than those caregiving for RF and IF patients (p = 0.002). The level of caregiver burden was reported as not high, but caregivers used in average 13 hours/day for caring. Moreover, cleaning tasks (p = 0.005) and personal care (p = 0.009) were more demanding in RF and IF patients. Caregivers also did not differ regarding dyadic coping. When comparing patients and caregivers, stress communication by oneself and the partner differed (p < 0.001). SIGNIFICANCE OF RESULTS: Caregivers spent many hours in the care role, they reported poor health, and dyadic coping may be improved. Interventions in caregivers of patients with life-threatening organ failure could help to improve care management at home, caregiver's health, and dyadic coping between caregiver and patient and consequently reduce caregiver burden.

Identification of palliative care needs in hemodialysis patients: An update.

OBJECTIVE: End-stage kidney disease and hemodialysis (HD) treatment are associated with a high symptom burden in many patients. This study aimed at updating patient-reported outcomes concerning quality of life, fatigue, anxiety, and depression in HD patients treated in a single center in order to assess the need for palliative care provision. METHOD: A cross-sectional design, in which a sample of patients treated at a single HD department (Rigshospitalet, Denmark) between January and June 2019, was analyzed using the Kidney Disease Quality of Life Short Form, the Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory, and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. In addition, we compared the results with previously published data from the same department (2000) and with an age- and sex-matched sample from the Danish general population (1997/2014). Chi-square and t-tests were used for comparisons. RESULTS: Screened patients = 242, included = 141, analyzed = 131 (70.2% male, mean age = 61.3 years). HD patients reported low scores for quality of life, high scores for fatigue, and approximately 30% had anxiety/depression. Regarding quality of life, they had significantly lower scores on general health (P ≤ 0.000), vitality (P = 0.009), social functioning (P = 0.001), mental health (P = 0.007), and mental component (P = 0.005) compared with former data of HD patients. Moreover, they reported significantly poorer quality of life and worse fatigue compared with the general Danish population. SIGNIFICANCE OF RESULTS: In the patients undergoing HD, quality of life was poor and worsened when compared with former HD patients' data. Additionally, fatigue, depression, and anxiety in HD patients were prevalent. A clear need for palliative care provision was observed.

Nephrotic syndrome and pulmonary hypertension as complications of intravenous drug abuse.

This case report discusses a patient with nephrotic syndrome, pulmonary hypertension, and repeated episodes of infections. He had a history of intravenous drug abuse. Kidney biopsy revealed the rare finding of numerous foam cells, mainly in glomeruli. The solvent used for the drugs is thought to be responsible for the foam cells. In line with previous reports, we suspect that the pulmonary hypertension is consistent with foam cells in pulmonary capillaries or fat embolism syndrome due to the intravenous administered drugs. Our case demonstrates that the use of intravenous drugs can lead to widely varying symptoms. Globally, the prevalence of substance abuse is increasing. Knowledge about their damaging effects is crucial in both clinical practice and anatomic pathology.

Quantifying the benefit of early living-donor renal transplantation with a simulation model of the Dutch renal replacement therapy population.

BACKGROUND: Early living-donor transplantation improves patient- and graft-survival compared with possible cadaveric renal transplantation (RTx), but the magnitude of the survival gain is unknown. For patients starting renal replacement therapy (RRT), we aimed to quantify the survival benefit of early living-donor transplantation compared with dialysis and possible cadaveric transplantation and to estimate the population benefit from increasing the early transplantation rate. METHODS: We used a decision-analytic computer-simulation model, with a lifetime time horizon, simulating patients starting RRT, using data from the Dutch End-Stage Renal Disease Registry and published data. We compared the (quality adjusted) life expectancy (LE) of 'early living-donor RTx' and 'dialysis' (with possible cadaveric RTx if available). RESULTS: LE and quality-adjusted LE benefits of the early living-donor RTx compared with the dialysis strategy for 40-year-old patients ranged from 7.5 to 9.9 life years (LYs) [6.7-8.8 quality-adjusted life years (QALYs)] depending on the primary renal disease. For 70-year-old patients, the benefit was 4.3-6.0 LYs (4.3-6.0 QALYs). Increasing the early transplantation rate from currently 5.8 to 22.2% (the highest in Europe) would increase average LE by 1.2 LYs and total LE for annual incident cases in the Netherlands by >1800 LYs. CONCLUSIONS: Efforts to increase early living-donor RTx could potentially substantially increase LE for patients starting RRT, especially in younger patients.

Propensity scores in the presence of effect modification: A case study using the comparison of mortality on hemodialysis versus peritoneal dialysis.

PURPOSE: To control for confounding bias from non-random treatment assignment in observational data, both traditional multivariable models and more recently propensity score approaches have been applied. Our aim was to compare a propensity score-stratified model with a traditional multivariable-adjusted model, specifically in estimating survival of hemodialysis (HD) versus peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients. METHODS: Using the Dutch End-Stage Renal Disease Registry, we constructed a propensity score, predicting PD assignment from age, gender, primary renal disease, center of dialysis, and year of first renal replacement therapy. We developed two Cox proportional hazards regression models to estimate survival on PD relative to HD, a propensity score-stratified model stratifying on the propensity score and a multivariable-adjusted model, and tested several interaction terms in both models. RESULTS: The propensity score performed well: it showed a reasonable fit, had a good c-statistic, calibrated well and balanced the covariates. The main-effects multivariable-adjusted model and the propensity score-stratified univariable Cox model resulted in similar relative mortality risk estimates of PD compared with HD (0.99 and 0.97, respectively) with fewer significant covariates in the propensity model. After introducing the missing interaction variables for effect modification in both models, the mortality risk estimates for both main effects and interactions remained comparable, but the propensity score model had nearly as many covariates because of the additional interaction variables. CONCLUSION: Although the propensity score performed well, it did not alter the treatment effect in the outcome model and lost its advantage of parsimony in the presence of effect modification.

Complex regional pain syndrome type 1 may be associated with menstrual cycle disorders: a case-control study.

BACKGROUND: Complex regional pain syndrome type 1 (CRPS1) can develop after severe trauma or surgery in the limbs, and presents with chronic, changes in temperature, edema and dysfunction. Seventy-five percent of CRPS1 patients are female. While neurological and inflammatory components have been proposed, the etiology remains unclear. No consensus on optimal management of CRPS1 exists. In traditional Chinese medicine, menstrual disorders are related to the state of women's constitution and therefore identify their pain patterns. A classification by constitution might improve the pain management in CRPS1 patients. It is unknown whether associations exist between menstrual-cycle-conditions and CRPS1. AIM: To investigate whether a specified menstrual condition is associated with the risk of developing CRPS1. METHODS: A population-based case-control study of CRPS1 was conducted among Dutch women aged 18-82; i.e. 34 women with CRPS1 and 147 controls. A standard questionnaire consisting of 59 menstrual-cycle-symptom-based questions was administered. From this questionnaire, 15 CRPS1-related questions (DRQ 15) were analyzed. We used multivariate logistic regression to obtain odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for specified menstrual disorders adjusting for age, oral contraceptives, hysterectomy and age at menarche < or = 12 and > or = 17 years. RESULTS: On the basis of the DRQ 15, women with CRPS1 were 5.3 (95%CI 2.1, 12.9) times more likely to have menstrual disorders than comparable controls. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that selected menstrual conditions are associated with the risk of developing CRPS1.

Early living-donor kidney transplantation: a review of the associated survival benefit.

Avoidance of dialysis-related morbidity, improvement in quality of life, and reduction of costs have been mentioned as advantages of preemptive kidney transplantation. However, this therapeutic option is underutilized. Previous studies assessing the patient survival benefit of preemptive kidney transplantation compared it with postdialysis kidney transplantation. These studies may have been subjected to lead-time bias. When comparing patient survival of preemptive kidney transplant patients with waitlisted dialysis patients, there is a clear patient survival advantage in favor of preemptive kidney transplantation. This benefit justifies encouragement of preemptive kidney transplantation.

Retrograde catheterization of haemodialysis fistulae and grafts: angiographic depiction of the entire vascular access tree and stenosis treatment.

BACKGROUND: The European Best Practice Guidelines on Vascular Access propose magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) of dysfunctional dialysis fistulae and grafts if visualization of the complete arterial inflow and outflow vessels is needed. In a prospective multi-centre study we determined the technical success rate of complete vascular access tree depiction by digital subtraction angiography (DSA) as an alternative to MRA. Instead of a more invasive brachial artery of femoral artery approach, we performed a retrograde catheterization of the venous outflow or graft, and stenoses were treated in connection with DSA. METHODS: A catheter was advanced into the central arterial inflow after retrograde puncture of the venous outflow or graft for depiction of the complete inflow, access region and complete outflow. Access DSA through femoral artery puncture was done if the retrograde approach failed to depict the complete vascular access tree. Stenoses with a luminal diameter reduction >or=50% were treated, if possible, in connection with DSA. RESULTS: A total of 116 dysfunctional haemodialysis fistulae and 50 grafts were included. Retrograde DSA depicted the complete vascular tree in 162 patients (97.6%). The arteriovenous anastomosis of four fistulae could not be negotiated by a catheter. DSA demonstrated 247 significant stenoses: 30, 128 and 89 were located in the arterial inflow (12.1%), AV anastomosis and graft region (51.8%) and venous outflow (36.0%), respectively. Ten patients (6.0%) had no stenosis. Eight (4.8%), 55 (33.1%) and 33 (19.9%) patients demonstrated stenoses in only inflow, access region or outflow, respectively. Stenoses in two or three vascular territories were present in 53 (31.9%) and 7 (4.2%) patients, respectively. A technically successful endovascular intervention was obtained in 135 of the 139 patients (97.1%) who underwent angioplasty and/or stent placement. Additional sheath insertion by antegrade outflow puncture was needed in 46 patients (33.1%) for the treatment of coexisting venous outflow stenoses, located downstream from the retrograde positioned sheath. Two minor complications were observed at DSA/angioplasty. CONCLUSION: As an alternative to MRA, full retrograde DSA is safe and effective for stenosis detection and stenosis treatment. However, access evaluation by a non-invasive imaging modality such as colour duplex ultrasound will be sufficient in most cases as proximal inflow stenoses are encountered in a minority of patients. Full retrograde DSA, including complete arterial inflow depiction, may then be reserved for cases with an unsuccessful outcome following endovascular intervention of stenoses depicted at ultrasound.

Using heparin therapy to reverse protein-losing enteropathy in a patient with CDG-Ib.

BACKGROUND: A 22-year-old female presented with edema, diarrhea, hypoalbuminemia and pancytopenia. She had previously been diagnosed with congenital disorder of glycosylation type Ib, and had a history of congenital hepatic fibrosis, portal hypertension and esophageal varices. In the past she had refused mannose therapy because of associated diarrhea and abdominal pain. INVESTIGATIONS: Laboratory examinations, abdominal ultrasonography, bacterial and viral cultures of blood, urine and stools, double-balloon enteroscopy and fecal excretion test using 51Cr-labeled albumin. DIAGNOSIS: Protein-losing enteropathy. MANAGEMENT: Infusion of albumin followed by intravenous and subcutaneous therapy with unfractionated heparin.

Preference-based quality of life of patients on renal replacement therapy: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVES: Various utility measures have been used to assess preference-based quality of life of patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). The purposes of this study were to summarize the literature on utilities of hemodialysis (HD), peritoneal dialysis (PD), and renal transplantation (RTx) patients, to compare utilities between these patient groups, and to obtain estimates for quality-of-life adjustment in economic analyses. METHODS: We searched the English literature for studies that reported visual analog scale (VAS), time trade-off (TTO), standard gamble (SG), EuroQol-5D (EQ-5D), and health utilities index (HUI) values of ESRD patients. We extracted patient characteristics and utilities and calculated mean utilities and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for categories defined by utility measure and treatment modality using random-effects models. RESULTS: We identified 27 articles that met the inclusion criteria. VAS articles were too heterogeneous to summarize quantitatively and we found only one study reporting HUI values. Thus, we summarized utilities from TTO, SG, and EQ-5D studies. Mean TTO and EQ-5D-index values were lower for dialysis compared to RTx patients, though not statistically significant for TTO values (TTO values: HD 0.61, 95% CI 0.54-0.68; PD 0.73, 95% CI 0.61-0.85; RTx 0.78, 95% CI 0.63-0.93; EQ-5D-index values: HD 0.56, 95% CI 0.49-0.62; PD 0.58, 95% CI 0.50-0.67; RTx 0.81, 95% CI 0.72-0.90). Mean HD versus PD associated TTO, EQ-5D-index and EQ-VAS values were not statistically significantly different. CONCLUSION: RTx patients tended to have a higher utility than dialysis patients. Among HD and PD patients, there were no statistically significant differences in utility.

Quality of life assessed with the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form 36-Item Health Survey of patients on renal replacement therapy: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVES: The Medical Outcomes Study Short Form 36-Item Health Survey (SF-36) is the most widely used generic instrument to estimate quality of life of patients on renal replacement therapy. Purpose of this study was to summarize and compare the published literature on quality of life of hemodialysis (HD), peritoneal dialysis (PD), and renal transplant (RTx) patients. METHODS: We used random-effects regression analyses to compare the SF-36 scores across treatment groups and adjusted this comparison for age and prevalence of diabetes using random-effects meta-regression analyses. RESULTS: We found 52 articles that met the inclusion criteria, reporting quality of life of 36,582 patients. The unadjusted scores of all SF-36 health dimensions were not significantly different between HD and PD patients, but the scores of RTx patients were higher than those of dialysis patients, except for the dimensions Mental Health and Bodily Pain. Point differences between dialysis and RTx patients varied from 2 to 32. With adjustment for age and diabetes, the differences became smaller (point difference 2-22). The significance of the differences of both dialysis groups compared with RTx recipients disappeared for the dimensions Vitality and Social Functioning. The significance of the differences between HD and RTx patients disappeared on the dimensions Physical Functioning, Role Physical, and Bodily Pain. CONCLUSION: We conclude that dialysis patients have a lower quality of life than RTx patients, but this difference can partly be explained by differences in age and prevalence of diabetes.

Inflow stenoses in dysfunctional hemodialysis access fistulae and grafts.

BACKGROUND: The aim of the study is to prospectively determine the incidence of inflow stenoses in dysfunctional hemodialysis access arteriovenous fistulae (AVFs) and grafts (AVGs). METHODS: Contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance angiography (CE-MRA) was performed of 66 dysfunctional AVFs and 35 AVGs in 56 men and 45 women (mean age, 62 years; age range, 31 to 86 years). Complete inflow (from the subclavian artery), shunt region, and complete outflow (including subclavian vein) were shown at CE-MRA. In addition to standard digital subtraction angiography (DSA) of the shunt region and outflow, DSA of the complete inflow was obtained through access catheterization of all cases in which CE-MRA showed an inflow stenosis. Vascular stenosis is defined as greater than 50% decrease in luminal diameter compared with an uninvolved vascular segment located adjacent to the stenosis. Endovascular intervention of stenoses was performed in connection with DSA. RESULTS: CE-MRA showed 19 arterial stenoses in 14 patients (14%). DSA confirmed 18 of these lesions in 13 patients and showed no additional inflow lesions. Of the 13 patients, 7 patients had arterial stenoses only and 6 patients had accompanying stenoses in the shunt region and/or outflow. Referral criteria for the 13 patients to undergo access evaluation had been decreased flow rates (9 patients), steal symptoms (2 patients), and insufficient access maturation (2 patients). Access flow of the 9 patients with a low-flow access improved from 477 +/- 74 mL/min to 825 +/- 199 mL/min after angioplasty. One patient with steal symptoms became symptom free after angioplasty. Endovascular intervention in 3 patients proved to be unsuccessful. CONCLUSION: Inflow stenoses are not uncommon in dysfunctional hemodialysis access shunts. We suggest that radiological evaluation comprise assessment of the complete arterial inflow.

Stenosis detection in failing hemodialysis access fistulas and grafts: comparison of color Doppler ultrasonography, contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance angiography, and digital subtraction angiography.

OBJECTIVE: Several imaging modalities are available for the evaluation of dysfunctional hemodialysis shunts. Color Doppler ultrasonography (CDUS) and digital subtraction angiography (DSA) are most widely used for the detection of access stenoses, and contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance angiography (CE-MRA) of shunts has recently been introduced. To date, no study has compared the value of these three modalities for stenosis detection in dysfunctional shunts. We prospectively compared CDUS and CE-MRA with DSA for the detection of significant (> or = 50%) stenoses in failing dialysis accesses, and we determined whether the interventionalist would benefit from CDUS performed before DSA and endovascular intervention. METHODS: CDUS, CE-MRA, and DSA were performed of 49 dysfunctional hemodialysis arteriovenous fistulas and 32 grafts. The vascular tree of the accesses was divided into three to eight segments depending on the access type (arteriovenous fistula or arteriovenous graft) and the length of venous outflow. CDUS was performed and assessed by a vascular technician, whereas CE-MRA and DSA were interpreted by two magnetic resonance radiologists and two interventional radiologists, respectively. All readers were blinded to information from each other and from other studies. DSA was used as reference standard for stenosis detection. RESULTS: DSA detected 111 significant (> or = 50%) stenoses in 433 vascular segments. Sensitivity and specificity of CDUS for the detection of significant stenosed vessel segments were 91% (95% CI, 84%-95%) and 97% (95% CI, 94%-98%), respectively. We found a positive predictive value of 91% (95% CI, 84%-95%) and a negative predictive value of 97% (95% CI, 94%-98%). The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of MRA were 96% (95% CI, 90%-98%), 98% (95% CI, 96%-99%), 94% (95% CI, 88%-97%), and 98% (95% CI, 96%-99%), respectively. CDUS and CE-MRA depicted respectively three and four significant stenoses in six nondiagnostic DSA segments. The interventionalist would have chosen an alternative cannulation site in 38% of patients if the CDUS results had been available. CONCLUSIONS: We suggest that CDUS be used as initial imaging modality of dysfunctional shunts, but complete access should be depicted at DSA and angioplasty to detect all significant stenoses eligible for intervention. CE-MRA should be considered only if DSA is inconclusive.

Stenosis detection with MR angiography and digital subtraction angiography in dysfunctional hemodialysis access fistulas and grafts.

PURPOSE: To prospectively assess three-dimensional contrast material-enhanced magnetic resonance (MR) angiography for stenosis depiction in malfunctioning hemodialysis arteriovenous fistulas (AVFs) and grafts (AVGs), as compared with digital subtraction angiography (DSA). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ethical review board approval and written informed consent were obtained. MR angiography and DSA were performed in 51 dysfunctional hemodialysis fistulas and grafts in 48 consecutive patients. Vascular tree of accesses was divided into between three and eight segments depending on access type (AVF or AVG) and length of venous outflow. Images obtained with MR and DSA were interpreted by two MR radiologists and two interventional radiologists, respectively, who were blinded to information from each other and other studies. DSA was reference standard for stenosis detection. Sensitivity, specificity, and predictive values with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of contrast-enhanced MR in detection of vascular segments containing hemodynamically significant (> or =50%) stenosis were calculated. Linear-weighted kappa statistic was calculated for contrast-enhanced MR and DSA to determine interobserver agreement regarding stenosis detection. RESULTS: A total of 282 vascular segments were evaluated. Contrast-enhanced MR depicted three false-positive stenoses and all but two of 70 significant stenoses depicted with DSA. Sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values of MR in detection of vessel segments with significant stenoses were 97% (95% CI: 90%, 99%), 99% (95% CI: 96%, 100%), 96% (95% CI: 88%, 99%), and 99% (95% CI: 97%, 100%), respectively. MR demonstrated significant stenosis in four of five nondiagnostic DSA segments, whereas DSA showed no significant stenosis in four nondiagnostic MR segments. Linear-weighted kappa statistic for interobserver agreement regarding stenosis detection was 0.92 (95% CI: 0.89, 0.95) for MR and 0.95 (95% CI: 0.92, 0.97) for DSA. CONCLUSION: MR angiography depicts stenoses in dysfunctional hemodialysis accesses but has limited clinical value as result of current inability to perform MR-guided access interventions after stenosis detection. MR of dysfunctional access should be considered only if nondiagnostic vascular segment is present at DSA.

Living renal donors: optimizing the imaging strategy--decision- and cost-effectiveness analysis.

PURPOSE: To determine the most cost-effective strategy for preoperative imaging performed in potential living renal donors. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In a decision-analytic model, the societal cost-effectiveness of digital subtraction angiography (DSA), gadolinium-enhanced magnetic resonance (MR) angiography, contrast material-enhanced spiral computed tomographic (CT) angiography, and combinations of these imaging techniques was evaluated. Outcome measures included lifetime cost, quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs), and incremental cost-effectiveness ratios. A base-case analysis was performed with a 40-year-old female donor and a 40-year-old female recipient. RESULTS: For the donor, MR angiography (24.05 QALYs and 9,000 dollars) dominated all strategies except for MR angiography with CT angiography, which had an incremental ratio of 245,000 dollars per QALY. For the recipient, DSA and DSA with MR angiography yielded similar results (10.46 QALYs and 179,000 dollars) and dominated all other strategies. When results for donor and recipient were combined, DSA dominated all other strategies (34.51 QALYs and 188,000 dollars). If DSA was associated with a 99% specificity or less for detection of renal disease, MR angiography with CT angiography was superior (34.47 QALYs and 190,000 dollars). CONCLUSION: For preoperative imaging in a potential renal donor, DSA is the most cost-effective strategy if it has a specificity greater than 99% for detection of renal disease; otherwise, MR angiography with CT angiography is the most cost-effective strategy.