Low resistive index on doppler ultrasound predicts worse graft survival in liver transplantation

Abstract

Background: Although liver transplantation (LT) outcomes have improved significantly over the last decades, early post-transplant vascular complications, such as hepatic arterial thrombosis (HAT), are still associated with an elevated risk of graft failure. Doppler Ultrasound (DUS) is a non-invasive, semi-quantitative method capable of detecting vascular abnormalities by estimating the resistance to arterial blood flow, quantified through the Resistive Index (RI). In order to detect early acute HAT, DUS is performed on the first post-transplant week. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association of RI parameters of DUS performed on the first post-transplant week with graft survival of transplanted livers.