Ultrasound Screening for Transplant Renal Artery Stenosis Risk Stratification Using Standardized Criteria in...

To evaluate the effectiveness of templated ultrasound reports using transplant renal artery stenosis (TRAS) risk stratification (RS), particularly with regard to utilization of downstream angiographic studies and angiographic presence of TRAS.

Ultrasounds with TRAS-RS templated reports from August 2017 to May 2020 were included. Studies were excluded if performed <28 days posttransplant and where TRAS was not clinically considered. A total of 530 ultrasounds met inclusion/exclusion criteria. TRAS-RS criteria were recorded (renal artery velocity ≥300 cm/s, spectral broadening in the renal artery, and intraparenchymal acceleration time ≥0.1 second). Depending on the number of criteria present, recipients were stratified into low (0/3), intermediate (1/3), high (2/3), and very high (3/3) risk for TRAS. Student's t-test was performed to identify whether the TRAS-RS category was associated with 1) performance of angiography to assess for TRAS and 2) angiographic presence of TRAS.

Of the 530 ultrasounds, 74 (14%) underwent angiography. Of these, 41 (55%) were positive for TRAS (overall positive rate, 8%). Number of ultrasounds, angiograms, and angiograms positive for TRAS, respectively, in each of the TRAS-RS categories for the 530 cases were: low probability: n = 370 (70% of all studied reports), 7 angiograms (2%), and 0 (0%) positive for TRAS; intermediate: n = 87 (16%), 24 angiograms (28%), and 8 (33%) positive; high: n = 46 (9%), 23 angiograms (50%), and 14 (61%) positive; and very high: n = 27 (5%), 20 angiograms (74%), and 19 (95%) positive. TRAS-RS score was associated with subsequent performance of angiography and positive rate for TRAS (P < .01).

Implementing a defined ultrasound screening tool with templated reporting for TRAS allowed for effective selection of those requiring an angiogram.