Fabrizio Chegai MD, Presenter: Nothing to Disclose

Antonio Orlacchio MD, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose

Costantino Del Giudice MD, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose

Elisa Costanzo, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose

Marco Nezzo MD, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose

Giovanni Simonetti MD, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose

To evaluate the feasibility usefulness of Real Time Elastography (RTE) in the diagnosis of graft interstitial fibrosis (GIF) in kidney transplant patients.      

We prospectively enrolled 70 patients clinically-suspected of graft fibrosis. RTE was performed with a broadband linear transducer using a dedicated ultrasound machine. Tissue mean elasticity (TME) was calculated by two blinded operators. All patients underwent biopsy after RTE. To determine cortical fibrosis Banff score was used. The receiver-operating-characteristic (ROC) curves analysis was performed to evaluate the accuracy of TME to discriminate between patients with mild fibrosis (F1) vs patients with moderate-severe fibrosis (F2-F3). 

Inverse correlation between TME values and the degree of fibrosis has been shown (p <0.05). Patients with F1 had a mean TME-values significantly higher compared to TME in patients with F2 (p=0.005 ) and F3 (p=0.004). The diagnostic accuracy of TME measurement for F2-F3 evaluated by AUC-ROC analysis was 0.95

RTE was able to evaluate kidney fibrosis in a non-invasive way, and could be used as complementary imaging during follow-up of renal transplant patients.

RTE is a non invasive promising imaging technique for renal transplant patients. It allows detection of fibrosis onset during the clinical follow-up after transplantation

Chegai, F, Orlacchio, A, Del Giudice, C, Costanzo, E, Nezzo, M, Simonetti, G, The Usefulness of Real Time Elastography, RTE, in the Diagnosis of Graft Interstitial Fibrosis in Kidney Tranplant—Comparative Evaluation between RTE Data and Histological Findings.  Radiological Society of North America 2014 Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting, - ,Chicago IL. http://archive.rsna.org/2014/14045713.html