Abstract: 【Abstract】Objective To investigate the clinical effect of no- touch vein separation technique on the construction of forearm radio-cephalic arteriovenous fistula (AVF). Method A total of 118 cases having an operation of forearm radio-cephalic AVF from July 2011 to June 2015 were randomly selected; the operation was performed using standard vein separation technique in 76 cases and using no-touch vein separation technique in 42 cases. Complications, dysfunction rate and patency rate of the AVF in the 24 months of follow-up period were retrospectively analyzed. Result There were no significant differences in age (χ2=0.612, P=0.736), gender (χ2=0.000, P=0.995), primary disease (χ2=0.352, P=0.999), secondary/primary operation ratio (χ2=0.015, P=0.901), distal diameter of cephalic vein (＜2 mm/＞2 mm; χ2=0.001, P=0.978), comorbidities of thrombotic disease and risk factors for thrombosis (χ2=0.829, P=0.991), and the use of anti-platelet drugs (χ2=0.069, P=0.793) and anticoagulation drugs (χ2=0.253, P=0.615) between the two groups. In the 24 months of follow-up period, vascular stenosis (χ2=4.267, P=0.039), pseudoaneurysm (χ2=4.129, P=0.042), thrombosis (χ2=3.895, P=0.048) and dysfunction rate of AVF (χ2=3.944, P=0.047) were lower in the patients using no-touch vein separation technique than in those using standard vein separation technique; postoperative patency rate was higher in the patients using no-touch vein separation technique than in those using standard vein separation technique (c2=4.785, P=0.029). Conclusion Forearm radio-cephalic arteriovenous fistula (AVF) operation using no-touch vein separation technique can reduce the related complications and increase the usefulness term of the AVF.

Key words: No-touch, Vein separation, Cephalic vein, Radial artery, Vascular fistula