Retrospective review of angiography before cannulation of newly created vascular accesses in hemodialysis patients

Purpose To investigate vascular access status before first cannulation and the clinical implications of angiography performed before cannulation. Materials and Methods A retrospective review of 300 consecutive patients who underwent angiography after vascular access surgery and before cannulation between August 2004 and April 2010 was performed. Angiography was performed 4-6 weeks after the surgery but before the first cannulation. Results Angiography revealed 94 (31.3%) cases of severe stenosis (≥ 50% luminal narrowing) that required percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) or a second operation. No stenosis was observed in 122 (40.7%) cases, and mild stenosis (< 50% luminal narrowing) was observed in 84 (28%) cases. For the 94 cases with severe stenosis, PTA was performed in 66, and a second operation was performed in 16. In the other cases (n = 12), HD was maintained by a permanent catheter, or the patients were transferred to another institution. PTA was an immediate success in all patients who underwent the procedure except two. Of 84 patients with mild stenosis, 70 were followed for 1 year; vascular access dysfunction occurred in 15, and 11 of these underwent successful PTA. Of the 122 patients with normal angiographic findings, 102 were followed for 1 year, and vascular access dysfunction did not occur in any of these patients. Conclusions Early postoperative angiography before the first hemodialysis is helpful for the early detection and treatment of vascular access dysfunction.