J Ultrasound Med. 2017 Sep;36(9):1771-1782. doi: 10.1002/jum.14217. Epub 2017 May 04.

Challenges and Considerations When Using Shear Wave Elastography to Evaluate the Transplanted Kidney, With Pictorial Review.

Journal of ultrasound in medicine : official journal of the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine

Heather Early, Jorge Aguilera, Ellen Cheang, John McGahan

PMID: 28471017 DOI: 10.1002/jum.14217

Abstract

The gold standard in evaluating renal allograft dysfunction has traditionally been renal biopsy. However, not only does biopsy come with inherent risks, the time frame from biopsy to detecting renal dysfunction is often inefficient. It is therefore advantageous to have a noninvasive, low-cost, time-saving method, such as shear wave elastography (SWE), to detect fibrosis early, to maximize immunosuppressive care. It is important to consider factors that affect tissue stiffness in the kidney, as well as the challenges incurred when using SWE in this anisotropic organ, in order to select the most appropriate patients for this exam.

© 2017 by the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine.

Keywords: renal allograft; renal transplant; renal transplant elastography; renal transplant rejection; shear wave elastography; ultrasound

MeSH terms

• Elasticity Imaging Techniques / methods
• Humans
• Kidney / diagnostic imaging
• Kidney Transplantation*
• Postoperative Complications / diagnostic imaging

Publication Types

• Journal Article
• Review