Objective: To evaluate the use of color-flow Doppler ultrasonography, a direct, noninvasive technique, for measurement of kidney blood flow in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc).
Methods: Twenty-five normal volunteers and 25 SSc patients (median disease duration 8 years, range 2-21 years) were studied. All were free of clinical symptoms of renal damage. The resistance index (RI) was determined on main, interlobar, and cortical vessels.
Results: In SSc patients, the RI was significantly increased at every sampling site examined (P < 0.001). RI values were strongly correlated with disease duration (main artery r = 0.56, P < 0.04; interlobar artery r = 0.63, P < 0.02; cortical artery r = 0.75, P < 0.002). Regression analysis showed no relationship between RI and creatinine clearance values.
Conclusion: Color-flow Doppler ultrasonography is a sensitive and noninvasive technique for evaluating vascular damage of the kidney in patients with SSc.