RESUMEN
Vascular access for hemodialysis is the lifeline for patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD); therefore, maintenance of the vascular access is of the utmost importance. The dialysis circuit can be complicated by stenosis or thrombosis. In particular, central venous stenosis is frequently encountered in the vascular access of patients with ESRD, and this complication may require endovascular management. Conventional catheter-based venography may be inadequate for identifying dynamic forms of extrinsic compression and intravascular webs associated with these lesions. For these types of access complications, balloon angioplasty remains the first-line intervention, with stenting reserved for selected scenarios. Accurate assessment of the venous configuration is therefore important to ensure an adequate treatment response. Intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) has been shown to be beneficial in lower extremity venous interventions. The use of IVUS in dialysis access interventions is currently limited but may be indicated in selected challenging clinical situations. In this article, we discuss the potential uses of IVUS in the ESRD population based on our institutional experience and on the current literature.
RESUMEN
PURPOSE: To investigate effects of baseline and early longitudinal body composition changes on mortality and hepatic encephalopathy (HE) after transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS). MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is a case-control study with analysis of a TIPS registry (1995-2020) including data from patients with cirrhosis with computed tomography (CT) scans obtained within 1 month before and 3 months after TIPS. Core muscle area (CMA), macroscopic subcutaneous adipose tissue (mSAT), macroscopic visceral adipose tissue (mVAT) area, and muscle adiposity index (MAI) on CT were obtained. Multipredictor Cox proportional hazards models were used to assess the effect of body composition variables on mortality or HE. RESULTS: In total, 280 patients (158 men; median age, 57.0 years; median Model for End-stage Liver Disease-sodium [MELD-Na] score, 14.0) were included. Thirty-four patients had post-TIPS imaging. Median baseline CMA was 68.3 cm2 (interquartile range, 57.7-83.5 cm2). Patients with higher baseline CMA had decreased risks of mortality (hazard ratio [HR]: 0.82; P = .04) and HE (HR: 0.82; P = .009). It improved prediction of mortality over MELD-Na and post-TIPS right atrial pressure alone (confidence interval = 0.729). An increase in CMA (HR: 0.60; P = .043) and mSAT (HR: 0.86; P = .022) or decrease in MAI (HR: 1.50; P = .049) from before to after TIPS was associated with a decreased risk of mortality. An increase in mSAT was associated with an increased risk of HE (HR: 1.11; P = .04). CONCLUSIONS: CMA on CT scan 1 month before TIPS placement predicts mortality and HE in patients with cirrhosis. Changes in body composition on CT measured 3 months after TIPS placement independently predict mortality and HE.