Increased Brachial Artery Compliance After Arteriovenous Fistula Creation as Measured by Shear Wave Elastography: Results From a Feasibility Study

• Published in: Journal of ultrasound in medicine Vol. 39; no. 5; pp. 875 - 881
• Main Authors: MacDonald, Conor‐James, Ross, Rose, Houston, John Graeme
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hoboken, USA John Wiley & Sons, Inc 01.05.2020
• Subjects: Aged; arteriovenous fistula; Arteriovenous Shunt, Surgical - adverse effects; Arteriovenous Shunt, Surgical - methods; Brachial Artery - diagnostic imaging; Brachial Artery - physiopathology; Elasticity Imaging Techniques - methods; elastography; Feasibility Studies; Female; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; shear wave elastography; Vascular Stiffness - physiology; elastography; arteriovenous fistula; shear wave elastography
• ISSN: 0278-4297; 1550-9613
• DOI: 10.1002/jum.15169

Objectives Arterial stiffness has been proposed as a marker of arteriovenous fistula failure and can be measured locally by using ultrasound shear wave elastography (SWE). This preliminary study aimed to assess whether SWE measurements of the brachial artery were associated with arteriovenous fistula failure. Methods Data were collected on patients who were indicated for fistula creation. Preoperative and postoperative vessel diameters from B‐mode ultrasound, brachial artery SWE maps, and demographic data were collected. Logistic and linear regression analyses were used to determine whether any of these variables were related to the outcome of the fistula 3 months after creation. Results Data were acquired for 33 patients. Shear wave velocity values decreased after fistula creation (mean ± SD, –1.2 ± 1 m/s; P < .05). No parameters were associated with failure of the fistula in the logistic regression analysis. Conclusions No markers were related to fistula failure, but a decrease in the shear wave velocity was observed in the brachial arteries after fistula creation, indicating increased compliance.