To prevent arteriovenous fistula (AVF) early failure, due to radial or brachial artery stenosis, ultrasound guided angioplasty performed while surgically creating the AVF could be an effective procedure.
Case report: A 76-year-old diabetic male patient, on hemodialysis (HD) for 15 months, presented extensive thrombosis of the radio-cephalic AVF at the right arm, which had lasted for about 10 days. Ultrasound examination showed a 40% brachial artery stenosis with eccentric calcified plaque. The stenosis was localized about 1.5 cm before the artery bifurcation. The brachial artery diameter was 0.45 cm before and 0.26 cm at the level of the stenosis, the latter being 0.45 cm long. At the left wrist, under local anesthesia, the radial artery and the cephalic vein were exposed; the radial artery was then longitudinally incised for 7-8 mm in the area selected to create the AVF. A 6 Fr introducer, a metallic guide wire and a catheter for angioplasty were inserted one after the other in the radial artery. When the correct position of the angioplasty catheter in the stenotic area was established by ultrasound examination, the balloon was blown up to 13 atm for 35 sec, reducing the stenosis from 40-20%. Finally, a side-to-side radio-cephalic fistula was created, legating the distal vein. The AVF was used for HD after 3 weeks. The follow-up at 6 months demonstrated fair access performance and it was used without problems. Our satisfactory experience suggests that ultrasound guided angioplasty of brachial artery stenosis, performed simultaneously with surgical AVF creation, is possibly a successful procedure. This technique reduces the risk of early AVF failure and also allows, when required, stent implantation.