Evaluation of Doppler ultrasound in primary non-function of renal transplants

Doppler ultrasound investigation was performed in the renal grafts of 86 patients with primary non-function following cadaveric renal transplantation. Pulsatility Index, defined as: [formula: see text] was assessed to examine its predictive use in the diagnosis of rejection episodes as judged by a retrospective analysis of histological data. Altogether 415 Doppler examinations and 228 renal biopsies were performed. In our population the incidence of rejection was 57%. Using a pulsatility index (PI) > 1.8 to be indicative of rejection, the sensitivity of our test was 68% for vascular rejection and 65% for all rejection episodes. The specificity was 25%. We conclude that Doppler ultrasound cannot replace the need for transplant renal biopsy in patients with primary non-function.