Radiobasilic fistula: An efficient and still underused autogenous hemodialysis vascular access

Abstract

Radiobasilic fistula (RBF) is underutilized and not considered as the second option after radiocephalic fistula (RCF). We present a case study of a 45-year-old male patient with a medical history of diabetes mellitus and chronic renal insufficiency who presented at our vascular clinic for predialysis creation of hemodialysis vascular access. RBF was performed due to the patient's young age, the high possibility of long-term hemodialysis, and the small diameter of the forearm cephalic vein (1.5 mm). Most of the guidelines recommend brachiocephalic fistula (BCF) or brachiobasilic fistula (BBF) as the second choice following RCF, despite the reported efficiency of RBF. This case supports the previous studies recommending the inclusion of RBF as the second choice for vascular access in international guidelines, in addition to BCF, BBF, and over arteriovenous grafts.