Endovascular Doppler guide wire in renal arteries - Correlation with angiography in 20 patients

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES. TO evaluate the feasibility of endovascular Doppl er recording in renal arteries and to compare the reliability of Doppler pa rameters for detection of renal artery stenosis. METHODS. The authors examined 36 renal arteries in 20 patients with a 0.018 " endovascular flow wire. Peak systolic velocity and the renal artery-to-a ortic peak were measured in the main renal artery. From intrarenal waveform s, acceleration, acceleration time, and the renal resistive index were obta ined. Spectral analysis with consensus scoring of early systolic peak was a lso performed. RESULTS. Twelve significantly stenosed renal arteries and 26 normal renal a rteries were examined with the Doppler guide wire, without complications, P eak systolic velocity was the only parameter significantly different in ren al artery stenosis (P = 0.037). Peak systolic velocity also differed signif icantly between hypertensive and normotensive patients. Tardus parvus was s pecific for severe renal artery stenosis, CONCLUSIONS. Endovascular Doppler is a safe and accurate method for the det ermination of velocity measurements and may be useful during percutaneous r enal artery revascularization.