Objective: Renal transplantation is the most common visceral transplant. Complications of renal transplantation are common and can be due to a variety of causes. Despite advances in CT and MRI, sonography remains a frequently used imaging modality for assessing causes of graft dysfunction and transplant-related complications. This pictorial review will discuss and illustrate the spectrum of causes of renal graft dysfunction and complications at sonography along with the findings of correlative imaging modalities.
Methods: A retrospective search of the authors’ institutional database from 2000 to 2009 for cases of renal transplant dysfunction and transplant-related complications was performed.
Results: Causes of renal transplant dysfunction and complications include vascular causes (renal artery and vein stenosis, renal artery and vein thrombosis, biopsy-related arteriovenous fistula, and pseudoaneurysms), renal collecting system causes (ureteral strictures and calculi), renal parenchymal causes (infarcts, infection, primary renal tumors, and posttransplantation lymphoproliferative disorder), and peri-graft collections (hematoma, abscess, lymphocele and urinoma).
Conclusion: Awareness of the sonographic appearances of causes of renal graft dysfunction and transplant-related complications will allow earlier detection, accurate diagnosis, and prompt treatment.