The History of Interventional Nephrology

Visionary nephrologists in the early 1960s invented the dialysis machine, constructed arteriovenous shunts and fistulas, and designed vascular and peritoneal catheters to provide their patients with long-term dialysis. As the number of dialysis patients grew, the construction and care of vascular access was abandoned by nephrologists to surgeons and radiologists. There was a decline in the number of fistulas and an increase in grafts in the United States. Vascular access was not the first priority for the nonnephrologists, and this set the stage for the emergence of diagnostic and interventional nephrologists. These self-taught nephrologists trained others, resulting in a critical mass of subspecialists who founded the Society of Diagnostic and Interventional Nephrology. This review traces the origin of this exciting field from its pioneers to the society as it exists today. The future of this society depends on academic nephrology fellowship programs fostering training and research in this field.