Objective: The purpose of this study was to visualize the shunt flow of arteriovenous fistulas (AVFs) passing towards the top side of the foot from the plantar artery.
Methods: Colour-flow duplex Doppler ultrasonography was performed in 112 patients who consulted an outpatient clinic with varicose veins and/or symptoms such as foot oedema, dullness, cramp and coldness. Thirteen age-and sex-matched healthy subjects served as controls.
Results: AVFs were detected in 86 of 112 patients (77%). They were also detected in 10 (77%) of 13 healthy subjects. The shunt flow pattern consisted of two phases of flow corresponding to systole and diastole, and the diastolic fraction of time-velocity integral was larger, although the peak flow velocity in systole was higher than that in diastole.
Conclusion: Colour-flow duplex Doppler ultrasonography is useful for non-invasive visualization of the shunt flow of AVFs connecting the plantar artery with the venous arch of the top side of the foot.