Contrast Enhanced Ultrasound Compared with MRI and CT in the Evaluation of Post-Renal Transplant Complications
Emanuele David,
Giovanni Del Gaudio,
Francesco Maria Drudi,
Vincenzo Dolcetti,
Patrizia Pacini,
Antonio Granata,
Renzo Pretagostini,
Manuela Garofalo,
Antonio Basile,
Maria Irene Bellini,
Vito D’Andrea,
Mariano Scaglione,
Richard Barr,
Vito Cantisani
Affiliations
Emanuele David
Department of Translational and Precision Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
Giovanni Del Gaudio
Department of Radiology, Policlinico Umberto I, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
Francesco Maria Drudi
Department of Radiology, Policlinico Umberto I, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
Vincenzo Dolcetti
Department of Radiology, Policlinico Umberto I, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
Patrizia Pacini
Department of Radiology, Policlinico Umberto I, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
Antonio Granata
Nephrology Unit, Cannizzaro Hospital, 95026 Catania, Italy
Renzo Pretagostini
General Surgery and Organ Transplantation Unit, Department of Surgery, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
Manuela Garofalo
General Surgery and Organ Transplantation Unit, Department of Surgery, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
Antonio Basile
Radiology Unit 1, Department of Medical Surgical Sciences and Advanced Technologies “GF Ingrassia”, University Hospital “Policlinico-Vittorio Emanuele”, University of Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy
Maria Irene Bellini
Department of Surgical Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy
Vito D’Andrea
Department of Surgical Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy
Mariano Scaglione
Department of Surgery, Medicine and Pharmacy, University of Sassari, 07100 Sassari, Italy
Richard Barr
Department of Radiology, Northeastern Ohio Medical University, Youngstown, OH 44272, USA
Vito Cantisani
Department of Radiology, Policlinico Umberto I, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
Renal transplantation (RT) is the treatment of choice for end-stage renal disease, significantly improving patients’ survival and quality of life. However, approximately 3–23% of patients encounter post-operative complications, and radiology plays a major role for their early detection and treatment or follow-up planning. CT and MRI are excellent imaging modalities to evaluate renal transplant post-operative course; nevertheless, they are both associated with a high cost and low accessibility, as well as some contraindications, making them not feasible for all patients. In particular, gadolinium-based contrast can lead to the rare condition of nephrogenic systemic fibrosis, and iodine-based contrast can lead to contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN). CT also exposes the patients who may require multiple examinations to ionizing radiation. Therefore, considering the overall advantages and disadvantages, contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) is presently considered an effective first-line imaging modality for post-operative early and long-term follow-up in RT, reducing the need for biopsies and providing adequate guidance for drainage procedures. Hence, this paper aims to review the updated knowledge on CEUS compared with CT and MRI for the evaluation of RT renal transplant complications; advantages, limitations, and possible recommendations are provided.
