Patients with kidney failure have a fistula or graft for long-term dialysis in order for the dialysis machine to draw blood, filter it, and give it back to the patient. Over time, the fistula or graft may not work well enough to use for dialysis, most commonly because the veins may develop "scar tissue" within and around them that narrows the vein resulting in poor flow or complete blockage.
These blockages are commonly opened with wires, balloons (a procedure called angioplasty), and stents. These blockages are seen with angiography, a special type of x-ray used with a dye that shows the inside of the blood vessels. Intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) is a type of imaging that uses sound waves to produce an image of the inside of blood vessels and to see their condition. Currently, it is not known if angiography alone or angiography with IVUS has better results. The reason we are doing this study is to compare the results of angiography versus angiography with IVUS.
