Calcification of peripheral arteries and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry in patients undergoing renal replacement therapy

Abstract

Vascular calcification is common in patients with chronic kidney disease and in kidney transplant recipients. It leads to increased arterial stiffness, left ventricular hypertrophy, complicates formation of arteriovenous fistula for hemodialysis, decreases coronary artery perfusion, and generally increases cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Vascular calcification affects arteries of all sizes – starting from the intimal and medial layers of the arterial wall. In clinical practice, several non-invasive imaging techniques have been used to evaluate the location and severity of vascular calcification. There is a report positing a possibility of evaluating vascular calcification by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA). This paper presents the experience of successful diagnosis of peripheral arterial calcification by DXA in kidney transplant recipients and end-stage renal disease patients.

Keywords

• vascular calcification
• dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry
• chronic kidney disease
• kidney transplantation