There is limited evidence supporting the optimal use of fistuloplasty to maintain vascular access at various lesion sites, despite its critical role in facilitating renal replacement therapy and the overall high failure rates of arteriovenous fistulas (AVFs). This study aims to identify covariates affecting primary and secondary patency following fistuloplasty of native upper limb vascular access AVFs.
This retrospective study included all patients who underwent fistuloplasty at a tertiary vascular centre over 4 years. Baseline characteristics were recorded, and factors associated with primary and secondary patency rates were analysed.
A total of 206 patients (88 male, 118 female) with a mean age of 68 (±14) years underwent fistuloplasty during the study period. The prevalence of diabetes, ischaemic heart disease and antiplatelet usage were 33%, 21% and 70%, respectively. The median number of fistuloplasties per access during the follow-up period was 2 [1-3]. Fistulas were classified as radiocephalic (65), brachiocephalic (102) and brachiobasilic transposition (39). Recurrent stenosis (RS) was identified in 60 patients who had previous fistuloplasty before the study period, while 146 patients had de novo stenoses (DNS). Stenosis location significantly differed between RS and DNS ( = .03), with DNS primarily being anastomotic and RS predominantly in central and mixed locations. Younger fistulas were more likely to have anastomotic stenoses compared to those older than 1 year ( = .001). While no significant differences in primary patency (PP) were observed, secondary patency (SP) varied by stenosis location: Central 32 [13-42] months, Fistula vein 20 [12.5-35.5] months, Mixed 25 [13.5-37.5] months and Anastomotic 19 [7-29.5] months ( = .012).
Stenosis location in AVFs is associated with the age and type of the fistula. Younger fistulas often fail due to anastomotic stenoses, which have lower secondary patency compared to stenoses at other sites. Preliminary data suggest that central stenoses, primarily occurring in older fistulas, exhibit better secondary patency following fistuloplasty than stenoses at other locations.