Sonographic Evaluation of Surgical Complications of Kidney Transplantation

Kidney transplantation is the best replacement therapy for patients with end stage renal disease. However, despite the surgical advances and a better management of immunosuppression, many surgical complications may arise during the immediate and long-term follow. Sonography is the most important imaging technique for monitoring the graft function and for the diagnosis of surgical complications. It is easy to perform and allows a timely diagnosis of most surgical complications of kidney transplantation. Early detection and management of vascular and parenchymal anomalies could be extremely useful to improve the graft survival. In this chapter we explore the most frequent surgical complications of kidney transplantation, with a special focus on the sonograhic evaluation.