Factors affecting primary patency at 6 and 12 months after single balloon angioplasty in central venous stenosis in patients with chronic kidney disease

BACKGROUND: Central venous stenosis is one of the main problems encountered in arteriovenous fistula hemodialysis access. This condition can be treated with single balloon angioplasty. However, this treatment has unsatisfactory patency rates due to the vessels’ response to barotrauma. Knowing the risks affecting patency after single balloon angioplasty in patients with central venous stenosis is important for predicting their prognosis. The aim of this study was to determine the factors influencing patency six and 12 months after single balloon angioplasty in patients with central venous stenosis. METHODS: A multicenter retrospective cohort study was conducted at four hospitals between January 2018 and September 2022 to assess factors affecting patency six and 12 months after single balloon angioplasty in patients with central venous stenosis. The studied factors included stenosis degree, length, number, and location; residual stenosis; and balloon size and pressure. RESULTS: This study included 76 patients. The factors found to affect the patency six months after single balloon angioplasty were male sex (78.4% vs. 46.2%; P=0.004), stenosis length ≥2 cm (85.7% vs. 56.5%; P=0.042), stenosis of the innominate vein (75% vs. 39.3%; P=0.002), stenosis degree ≥80% (83.3% vs. 42.5%; P=0.001), and residual stenosis ≥30% (85% vs. 53.6%; P=0.013). Hypertension was found to affect patency 12 months after single balloon angioplasty (P=0.014). CONCLUSIONS: The patency of single balloon angioplasty is affected by stenosis length, stenosis location, stenosis degree, and residual stenosis.