Shelly,
I would encourage you to get involved with their QI process early (MD's and
all endovascular personnel) so you can learn with them - it goes much faster
that way. I did publish an article about AAA stent graft assessment by
duplex in JVT (JVT 22(2):97-104,1998).  It was a research protocol and a bit
more detailed than I currently do, but will certainly point you in the right
direction. Also, this topic has been discussed on flownet previously so you
should check the archives to review everyones comments.

I will tell you that it is not as easy as one thinks and it does take a
great deal of experience and knowledge of aortic branch vessels and flow.
Most of this you can learn from attending case conferences with your MD's
when they correlate CT's angios ultrasound.  The biggest limitation (next to
gas!) is equipment.  Very few are capable of delivering the level of
sensitivity required to see slow flow leaks in the abdominal cavity.  If
your system has high quality abdominal color Doppler you should be able to
routinely see assessory renal artery branches and hypogastric arteries and
an occasional lumbar branch. If your system can not do this I would not
recommend examining AAA stents.  Gotta run! bj

Bonnie L. Johnson RDMS, RVT, FSVT
Stanford Medical Center
Director, Vascular Laboratory Services
Division of Vascular Surgery
Stanford, CA


-----Original Message-----
From: UVM Flownet [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of Shelly
Burns
Sent: Tuesday, April 04, 2000 2:33 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: ENDOVASCULAR STENT PROTOCOL


I would like some exam information.  We just signed to be a sight for
endovascular AAA stent grafts.  Our vascular surgeon started putting them in
the past month or two.  I would like to offer him some kind of post-op scan
for monitoring.  Any suggestions would be helpful.
Shelly Burns LPN, RVT
Summa Health System
Akron, Ohio 44309