2020 Volume 53 Issue 1 Pages 1-6
[Background and Purpose] On vascular access-related ultrasound examinations, stenosis is generally evaluated by measuring the inner diameter of the target blood vessel on the long-axis cross-section (stenotic diameter), but accurate evaluations are difficult if the lumen does not form a perfect circle on the short-axis section. In this study, we compared stenotic diameter and cross-sectional area data obtained during such examinations. [Methods] This study included 83 patients (a total of 129 lesions) with arteriovenous fistulas. Stenotic diameter on the long-axis cross-section and the long and short diameter and cross-sectional area of the lesion on the short-axis cross-section were measured. ROC analysis was used to compare the utility of stenotic diameter and cross-sectional area for diagnosing vascular access failure. We classified stenosis into 5 types and examined the correlation between stenotic diameter and cross-sectional area. [Results] ROC analysis showed that there were no differences in diagnostic utility between stenotic diameter and cross-sectional area. The correlation between stenotic diameter and cross-sectional area was good, except in cases of aneurysmal-type stenosis. [Conclusion] Evaluations based on stenotic diameter are diagnostically useful, except in cases of aneurysmal-type stenosis. Aneurysmal-type stenosis can be evaluated based on the cross-sectional area of the lesion.
