858 The efficacy of preoperative ultrasound mapping prior to arteriovenous fistula creation: a meta-analysis and systematic review

Abstract Background and Aims Current literature presents conflicting evidence regarding the benefits of Color Doppler Ultrasound (DUS) in the preoperative vascular mapping of arteriovenous fistula (AVF) for haemodialysis. Thus, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of RCTs to evaluate differences in primary AVF failure between patients randomly assigned to routine preoperatory DUS and those randomly assigned to physical examination assessment alone or combined with DUS when physical examination provides limited information. Method We systematically searched PubMed, Google Scholar, Web of Science, and Scopus databases from their inception to November 30, 2023. The accessible text search terms were: “fistula” AND “arteriovenous” AND “dialysis” OR “haemodialysis” AND “Doppler” OR “ultrasound” OR “ultrasonography” AND “preoperative” OR “perioperative” OR “mapping”. No language restriction was applied. We also reviewed references from original papers and review articles to identify additional suitable studies not covered by our original database searches. Exclusion criteria were: (1) meeting abstracts, case reports, reviews, practice guidelines, case-control or cross-sectional or longitudinal studies; (2) RCTs that did not report any estimates of the outcomes of interest; (3) RCTs conducted in the paediatric population (