Positions

Overview

  • Michelle L. Robbin, MD, MS, FACR, FAIUM, FSRU completed a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a M.S. in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Minnesota. She attended medical school at the Mayo Clinic, followed by an adult internal medicine internship at California Pacific Medical Center. Dr. Robbin completed a radiology residency and ultrasound fellowship at the University of California San Francisco. Thereafter, she joined the faculty in the abdominal imaging section of the Department of Radiology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, as chief of ultrasound.

    Dr. Robbin has authored or coauthored more than 80 articles, 18 book chapters, and has given well over 250 presentations at national and international conferences. A fellow of the Society of Radiologists in Ultrasound, American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine (AIUM) and American College of Radiology, she received the Larry Mack award in 1999 for the best research paper presented at the SRU.

    Dr. Robbin has been a PI, CoPI or Investigator on 35 NIH and industry grants, including her R01 entitled "Early Diagnosis and Treatment of Dialysis Graft Stenosis". She has recently completed her role as Director of the Ultrasound Core on the Hemodialysis Fistula Maturation Study, a multicenter U01 NIH trial. The US Core read approximately 2,800 preoperative mapping and postoperative AVF ultrasounds from 7 clinical centers during the course of the 5-year study. Multiple manuscripts are in preparation from this wealth of data.

    Dr. Robbin has served on the AIUM Board of Governors, and on the Board of Directors of the Intersocietal Commission for the Accreditation of Vascular Laboratories (ICAVL). She is currently on the editorial boards of the Journal of Ultrasound in Medicine and Ultrasound Quarterly, and previously served on Radiology's editorial Board and as Consultant to the Editor (Radiology).
  • Selected Publications

    Academic Article

    Year Title Altmetric
    2022 Microvascular Flow Imaging: A State-of-the-Art Review of Clinical Use and PromiseRadiology.  305:250-264. 2022
    2022 Pulse-Echo Quantitative US Biomarkers for Liver Steatosis: Toward Technical StandardizationRadiology.  305:265-276. 2022
    2022 Dynamic Remodeling of Human Arteriovenous Fistula Wall Obtained From Magnetic Resonance Imaging During the First 6 Months After CreationKidney International Reports.  7:1905-1909. 2022
    2022 Improved Detection of Gallbladder Perforation Using Ultrasound Small Vessel Slow Flow “Perfusion” ImagingJournal of Ultrasound in Medicine.  41:511-518. 2022
    2022 Contrast-enhanced US Evaluation of Endoleaks after Endovascular Stent Repair of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm 2022
    2021 Arteriovenous Fistula Maturation, Functional Patency, and Intervention RatesJAMA Surgery.  156:1111-1118. 2021
    2021 Ultrasound Is Not Useful in Monitoring Lipedematous Alopecia: A Clinical, Trichoscopic, Histologic, and Ultrasound Analysis of 2 CasesSkin Appendage Disorders2021
    2020 Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound for the Evaluation of Renal TransplantsJournal of Ultrasound in Medicine.  39:2457-2468. 2020
    2020 The bio-sonographic index. A novel modality for early detection of acute kidney injury after complex vascular surgery. A protocol for an exploratory prospective studyPLoS One.  15. 2020
    2020 Thyroid Ultrasound: Diffuse and Nodular DiseaseRadiologic Clinics of North America.  58:1041-1057. 2020
    2020 Contrast-enhanced Ultrasound-State of the Art in North America: Society of Radiologists in Ultrasound White PaperUltrasound Quarterly.  36:S1-S39. 2020
    2020 Three-dimensional US for quantification of volumetric blood flow: Multisite multisystem results from within the quantitative imaging biomarkers allianceRadiology.  296:662-670. 2020
    2020 Early predictors of arteriovenous fistula maturation: A novel perspective on an enduring problemJournal of the American Society of Nephrology.  31:1617-1627. 2020
    2020 Contrast -Enhanced Ultrasound: State of the Art in North AmericaUltrasound Quarterly.  36:206-217. 2020
    2019 Mineral Metabolism Disturbances and Arteriovenous Fistula MaturationEuropean Journal of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery.  57:719-728. 2019
    2018 Erratum: Prediction of arteriovenous fistula clinical maturation from postoperative ultrasound measurements: Findings from the hemodialysis fistula maturation study (Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (2018) 29 (2735-2744)DOI:10.1681/ASN.2017111225)Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.  31:665. 2018
    2018 Prediction of arteriovenous fistula clinical maturation from postoperative ultrasound measurements: Findings from the Hemodialysis Fistula Maturation StudyJournal of the American Society of Nephrology.  29:2735-2744. 2018
    2018 Postoperative ultrasound, unassisted maturation, and subsequent primary patency of arteriovenous fistulasClinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.  13:1364-1372. 2018
    2018 Relationships Between Clinical Processes and Arteriovenous Fistula Cannulation and Maturation: A Multicenter Prospective Cohort StudyAmerican Journal of Kidney Diseases.  71:677-689. 2018
    2018 Contrast-enhanced ultrasound of benign liver lesionsAbdominal radiology (New York).  43:848-860. 2018
    2018 Practical advantages of contrast-enhanced ultrasound in abdominopelvic radiologyAbdominal radiology (New York).  43:998-1012. 2018
    2018 Comparison of postoperative ultrasound criteria to predict unassisted use of arteriovenous fistulas for hemodialysis 2018
    2018 Focal liver lesions: Computer-aided diagnosis by using contrast-enhanced us cine recordingsRadiology.  286:1062-1071. 2018
    2017 Intimal hyperplasia, stenosis, and arteriovenous fistula maturation failure in the hemodialysis fistula maturation studyJournal of the American Society of Nephrology.  28:3005-3013. 2017
    2017 ACaseofaChorionicBump:New Sonographic-Histopathologic Findings With Review of the LiteratureJournal of Ultrasound in Medicine.  36:1968-1970. 2017
    2017 Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound Classification of Previously Indeterminate Renal LesionsJournal of Ultrasound in Medicine.  36:1819-1827. 2017
    2017 Sonography of Arteriovenous Fistulas and GraftsSeminars in Dialysis.  30:309-318. 2017
    2016 Association between preoperative vascular function and postoperative arteriovenous fistula developmentJournal of the American Society of Nephrology.  27:3788-3795. 2016
    2016 AIUM Practice Parameter for the Performance of Ultrasound Vascular Mapping for Preoperative Planning of Dialysis AccessJournal of Ultrasound in Medicine.  35:1-10. 2016
    2016 Ultrasound vascular mapping for preoperative planning of dialysis accessJournal of Ultrasound in Medicine.  35. 2016
    2016 Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound: Practical Review for the Assessment of Hepatic and Renal LesionsUltrasound Quarterly.  32:116-125. 2016
    2016 Arteriovenous Fistula Development in the First 6 Weeks after creationRadiology.  279:620-629. 2016
    2016 Scanner-based protocol-driven ultrasound: An effective METHOD to improve efficiency in an ultrasound departmentAmerican Journal of Roentgenology.  206:792-796. 2016
    2016 Preoperative vascular medial fibrosis and arteriovenous fistula developmentClinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.  11:1615-1623. 2016
    2015 Risk evaluation of immediate surgical failure during thigh hemodialysis graft placement by sonographic screeningJournal of Ultrasound in Medicine.  34:1613-1619. 2015
    2015 Ultrasound Imaging of Breast Tumor Perfusion and Neovascular MorphologyUltrasound in Medicine and Biology.  41:2292-2302. 2015
    2015 Preoperative arterial microcalcification and clinical outcomes of arteriovenous fistulas for hemodialysisAmerican Journal of Kidney Diseases.  66:84-90. 2015
    2014 Objectives and design of the hemodialysis fistula maturation studyAmerican Journal of Kidney Diseases.  63:104-112. 2014
    2013 Correlation of pre-existing vascular pathology with arteriovenous graft outcomes in hemodialysis patientsAmerican Journal of Kidney Diseases.  62:1122-1129. 2013
    2013 Preoperative venous intimal hyperplasia, postoperative arteriovenous fistula stenosis, and clinical fistula outcomesClinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.  8:1750-1755. 2013
    2013 The common duct dilates after cholecystectomy and with advancing age reality or myth?Journal of Ultrasound in Medicine.  32:1385-1391. 2013
    2013 ACCF/ACR/AIUM/ASE/ASN/ICAVL/SCAI/SCCT/SIR/SVM/SVS 2012 appropriate use criteria for peripheral vascular ultrasound and physiological testing Part I: Arterial ultrasound and physiological testingJournal of the American College of Cardiology.  37:145-179. 2013
    2012 Ultrasound measurement of brachial artery elasticity prior to hemodialysis access placement: A pilot studyJournal of Ultrasound in Medicine.  31:1581-1588. 2012
    2011 High venous pressure in the main renal vein causing development of peritransplant venous collaterals in renal transplant patients: A rare findingJournal of Ultrasound in Medicine.  30:1731-1737. 2011
    2011 Medial fibrosis, vascular calcification, intimal hyperplasia, and arteriovenous fistula maturationAmerican Journal of Kidney Diseases.  58:437-443. 2011
    2011 Contrast enhanced ultrasound in the detection of liver metastases: A prospective multi-centre dose testing study using a perfluorobutane microbubble contrast agent (NC100100)European Radiology.  21:1739-1746. 2011
    2011 Ultrasound quality and efficiency: How to make your practice flourishJournal of Ultrasound in Medicine.  30:739-743. 2011
    2011 Dialysis grafts and fistulae: Planning and assessmentUltrasound Clinics.  6:477-489. 2011
    2010 Determination of breast cancer response to bevacizumab therapy using contrast-enhanced ultrasound and artificial neural networksJournal of Ultrasound in Medicine.  29:577-585. 2010
    2009 Accuracy of volumetric flow rate measurements: An in vitro study using modern ultrasound scannersJournal of Ultrasound in Medicine.  28:1511-1518. 2009
    2009 Hemodialysis vascular access monitoring: Current conceptsHemodialysis International.  13:153-162. 2009
    2009 Upper Extremity Venous Doppler UltrasoundUltrasound Clinics.  4:181-192. 2009
    2009 AIUM practice guideline for documentation of an ultrasound examinationJournal of Ultrasound in Medicine.  28:110-113. 2009
    2009 AIUM practice guideline for the performance of a breast ultrasound examinationJournal of Ultrasound in Medicine.  28:105-109. 2009
    2009 AIUM practice guideline for the performance of an ultrasound examination for detection and assessment of developmental dysplasia of the hipJournal of Ultrasound in Medicine.  28:114-119. 2009
    2009 AIUM practice guideline for the performance of renal artery duplex sonographyJournal of Ultrasound in Medicine.  28:120-124. 2009
    2009 AIUM practice guideline for ultrasonography in reproductive medicineJournal of Ultrasound in Medicine.  28:125-138. 2009
    2008 ReplyAmerican Journal of Roentgenology.  191. 2008
    2008 Resolved: Fistulas are preferred to grafts as initial vascular access for dialysisJournal of the American Society of Nephrology.  19:1629-1633. 2008
    2008 Resolved: Fistulas are preferred to grafts as initial vascular access for dialysis. Con.Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.  19:1632-1633. 2008
    2008 Retraction: Peritransplant tolerance induction with anti-CD3-immunotoxin: A matter of proinflammatory cytokine control (Transplantation (1998) 65, 9, (1159-1169))Transplantation.  85:920. 2008
    2008 Reversed diastolic flow in the renal transplant: Perioperative implications versus transplants older than 1 monthAmerican Journal of Roentgenology.  190:650-655. 2008
    2008 AIUM practice guideline for the performance of an ultrasound examination of the abdomen and/or retroperitoneumJournal of Ultrasound in Medicine.  27:319-326. 2008
    2008 Clinically immature arteriovenous hemodialysis fistulas: Effect of US on salvageRadiology.  246:299-305. 2008
    2008 Transplant Ultrasound of the Kidney, Liver, and PancreasUltrasound Clinics.  3:49-65. 2008
    2007 Renal vascular imaging: Ultrasound and other modalitiesUltrasound Quarterly.  23:279-292. 2007
    2007 Upper Extremity Venous Doppler UltrasoundRadiologic Clinics of North America.  45:513-524. 2007
    2007 American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine recommendations for contrast-enhanced liver ultrasound imaging clinical trialsJournal of Ultrasound in Medicine.  26:705-716. 2007
    2006 Response to 'Ultrasound surveillance and graft patency' [11]Kidney International.  70:1376. 2006
    2006 Randomized comparison of ultrasound surveillance and clinical monitoring on arteriovenous graft outcomesKidney International.  69:730-735. 2006
    2006 Carotid Artery Ultrasound Interpretation Using a Pattern Recognition ApproachUltrasound Clinics.  1:111-131. 2006
    2006 Cephalic vein measurement before forearm fistula creation: Does use of a tourniquet to meet the venous diameter threshold increase the number of usable fistulas?Journal of Ultrasound in Medicine.  25:1541-1545. 2006
    2005 Sonographic assessment of the severity and progression of autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease: The Consortium of Renal Imaging Studies in Polycystic Kidney Disease (CRISP)American Journal of Kidney Diseases.  46:1058-1064. 2005
    2005 Questions about graft surveillance [3]Kidney International.  68:2401-2402. 2005
    2005 Augmentation in lower extremity sonography for the detection of deep venous thrombosisAmerican Journal of Roentgenology.  184:419-422. 2005
    2004 Association of pelvic arterial calcification with arteriovenous thigh graft failure in haemodialysis patientsNephrology Dialysis Transplantation.  19:2564-2569. 2004
    2004 Emergency Doppler evaluation of the liver and kidneysRadiologic Clinics of North America.  42:397-415. 2004
    2004 Preoperative Sonographic Radial Artery Evaluation and Correlation with Subsequent Radiocephalic Fistula OutcomeJournal of Ultrasound in Medicine.  23. 2004
    2003 Comparison of Arteriovenous Grafts in the Thigh and Upper Extremities in Hemodialysis PatientsJournal of the American Society of Nephrology.  14:2942-2947. 2003
    2003 Renal structure in early autosomal-dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD): The Consortium for Radiologic Imaging Studies of Polycystic Kidney Disease (CRISP) cohortKidney International.  64:1035-1045. 2003
    2003 The sonographer practitioner: One piece to the radiologist shortage puzzleJournal of Ultrasound in Medicine.  22:861-864. 2003
    2003 Radial artery injury from a catfish sting.American journal of orthopedics (Belle Mead, N.J.).  32:412-414. 2003
    2003 Hemodialysis arteriovenous fistula maturity: US evaluation [4] (multiple letters)Radiology.  227:906-907. 2003
    2003 Case 58: Giant cell arteritisRadiology.  227:512-515. 2003
    2003 Case 58Radiology.  226:113-114. 2003
    2003 Gender differences in outcomes of arteriovenous fistulas in hemodialysis patientsKidney International.  63:346-352. 2003
    2003 Renal imaging with ultrasound contrast: Current statusRadiologic Clinics of North America.  41:963-978. 2003
    2002 Hemodialysis arteriovenous fistula maturity: US evaluationRadiology.  225:59-64. 2002
    2002 Increasing arteriovenous fistulas in hemodialysis patients: problems and solutions.Kidney International.  62:1109-1124. 2002
    2002 Increasing arteriovenous fistulas in hemodialysis patients: Problems and solutionsKidney International.  62:1109-1124. 2002
    2002 UltrasonographyGastroenterology Clinics of North America.  31:801-825. 2002
    2001 Effect of preoperative sonographic mapping on vascular access outcomes in hemodialysis patientsKidney International.  60:2013-2020. 2001
    2001 Hemodialysis access ultrasoundUltrasound Quarterly.  17:157-167. 2001
    2001 Ultrasound contrast agents: A promising futureRadiologic Clinics of North America.  39:399-414. 2001
    2000 Posttransplant lymphoproliferative disorder localized near the allograft in renal transplantationTransplantation.  69:809-814. 2000
    2000 Focal posttransplantation lymphoproliferative disorder at the renal allograft hilumAmerican Journal of Roentgenology.  175:1417-1422. 2000
    2000 US vascular mapping before hemodialysis access placementRadiology.  217:83-88. 2000
    2000 Ultrasound evaluation of flexor tendon lacerationsJournal of Hand Surgery (American Volume).  25:236-241. 2000
    1999 Tolerability and side effects of anti-CD3-immunotoxin in preclinical testing in kidney and pancreatic islet transplant recipientsTransplantation.  68:215-219. 1999
    1999 Doppler sonographic enhancement of hepatic hemangiomas and hepatocellular carcinomas after perflenapent emulsion: Preliminary studyJournal of Ultrasound in Medicine.  18:109-116. 1999
    1998 Perflenapent emulsion: a US contrast agent for diagnostic radiology--multicenter, double-blind comparison with a placebo. EchoGen Contrast Ultrasound Study Group.Radiology.  207:717-722. 1998
    1998 Peritransplant tolerance induction with anti-CD3 immunotoxin: A matter of proinflammatory cytokine controlTransplantation.  65:1159-1169. 1998
    1998 A multidisciplinary approach to hemodialysis access: Prospective evaluationKidney International.  53:473-479. 1998
    1998 Hemodialysis access graft stenosis: US detectionRadiology.  208:655-661. 1998
    1998 Perflenapent emulsion: A US contrast agent for diagnostic radiology- multicenter, double-blind comparison with a placeboRadiology.  207:717-722. 1998
    1998 Ultrasound for the diagnosis of retained splinters in the soft tissue of the hand.American journal of orthopedics (Belle Mead, N.J.).  27:455-459. 1998
    1997 The potential role of ultrasound contrast agents in the liver 1997
    1997 Carotid artery stents: Early and intermediate follow-up with Doppler USRadiology.  205:749-756. 1997
    1997 Dominantly transmitted glomerulocystic kidney disease A distinct genetic entityJournal of the American Society of Nephrology.  8:77-84. 1997
    1997 Pancreatic fluid collections prior to intervention: Evaluation with MR imaging compared with CT and USRadiology.  203:773-778. 1997
    1997 Predicting drainability of pancreatic collections: Prospective comparison of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography (CT), and ultrasound (US)Gastrointestinal Endoscopy.  45. 1997
    1994 The normal location of the fetal conus medullarisJournal of Ultrasound in Medicine.  13:541-546. 1994
    1993 Elevated levels of amniotic fluid α-fetoprotein: Sonographic evaluationRadiology.  188:165-169. 1993
    1993 The association between ‘faint‐positive’ amniotic fluid acetylcholinesterase and fetal malformationsPrenatal Diagnosis.  13:1071-1074. 1993
    1986 Anatomic and kinematic analysis of the human forearm using high-speed computed tomographyMedical and Biological Engineering and Computing.  24:164-168. 1986
    1976 The effects of the anticoagulants ACD and CPD on the glycerol permeability of human erythrocytesCryobiology.  13:653. 1976

    Chapter

    Year Title Altmetric
    2012 Renal and vascular ultrasonography for general nephrologists.  121-143. 2012
    2009 Diagnostic Sonography.  3083-3112. 2009
    2007 Doppler of the Hemodialysis Fistula.  160-172. 2007

    Research Overview

  • Dr. Robbin’s research interests focus on vascular ultrasound in the hemodialysis patient, applications of contrast enhanced ultrasound in the liver and kidney, and increasing diagnostic confidence in the ultrasound examination, as well as expanding the breadth and depth of ultrasound applications.
  • Education And Training

  • California Pacific Medical Center, Internship
  • UCSF Medical Center, Residency
  • UCSF Medical Center, Postdoctoral Fellowship
  • Doctor of Medicine, Mayo Medical School 1985
  • Full Name

  • Michelle Robbin