The percutaneous treatment of stenosis and thrombosis in haemodialysis access achieves patency rates similar to those reported in the surgical literature and confirms that grafts must be avoided as much as possible given their poorer outcome, especially after the first thrombosis. Poorer outcome is also demonstrated in accesses of less than 1 year's duration.
Delayed maturation of native fistulas should lead systematically to imaging as an underlying stenosis is diagnosed in all cases. Interventional radiology can treat the majority of cases and achieve a 97% success rate but early recurrence of stenoses can occur. Multidisciplinary re-evaluation of the patient must, therefore, be performed after radiological salvage of the fistula.
AD is a rare but significant complication of vascular access. Surgical correction should be discussed in most cases due to potential complications. After resection, the choice of reconstructive conduit is not straightforward.
Endovascular treatment plays a major role in the maturation process, maintenance and salvage of radial and ulnar-basilic fistulas. The preservation of upper arm veins for the future, with low risk of hand ischaemia or hyperflow, might encourage nephrologists and surgeons to consider forearm basilic fistulas systematically in their strategy of vascular access creation.
Dilation of the radial artery yields higher patency rates than for veins. Surgeons might therefore be less demanding about the initial quality of the radial artery prior to creation of radial-cephalic fistulas.
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