[Sonography for monitoring kidney transplants]

Ultrasonography is very useful for judging the position and course of renal transplants. With this method extra- and intrarenal complications can be detected very accurately. The sonographic examination is quite harmless and puts little strain on the patient. It can be carried out a few days after the operation. This initial sonogram, obtained as early as possible, makes it easier to recognize and to interpret later changes more promptly and correctly. The results of sonographic examinations in 18 patients with renal transplants are presented. They show that a normal sonogram reliably excludes extrarenal complications such as fluid collection or obstruction as well as rejection of the transplant. All cases of rejection correlated to clearly abnormal sonographic findings.