Accuracy of Duplex Ultrasound for Detecting Renal Artery Stenosis: A Systematic Review

Background: Duplex ultrasound (DUS) is a well-tolerated, noninvasive imaging technique. Renal artery stenosis (RAS)—a narrowing of the arteries that supply the kidney—is involved in the cause of renal failure, and its gold-standard method of detection is digital subtraction angiography (DSA). Whether DUS is a suitable alternative to DSA or other angiographic modalities has only been reviewed up to 2005, producing mixed results with studies based on older ultrasound technology without a measurement of study quality. Purpose: To provide an up-to-date review of the diagnostic accuracy of DUS for the diagnosis of RAS in comparison with angiography. Methods: Our registered systematic review (DOI: 10.17605/OSF.IO/SE9VN) examined articles post-2005. Studies must have compared RAS diagnosis between DUS and angiography. Sources were searched in November 2022 and included Scopus, EMBASE, MEDLINE, CINAHL, and Academic Search Premier (1749 citations; final: n = 34; DSA only: n = 9). Study quality was assessed using the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Studies 2 tool and results are presented narratively. A total of 2968 (1281 females) patients were included. Duplex ultrasound exhibited moderately high agreement with DSA and other well-established angiographic criteria with the existing literature having low risk of bias and low concern for patient applicability. Studies exhibiting low agreement were generally in smaller samples or used unique definitions of stenosis. Conclusions: Improved study reporting, consistent definitions of stenosis, and a common statistical battery are needed.