Bilateral nephrectomy simultaneously with renal allografting does not alleviate hypertension 3 months following living-donor transplantation

Severe hypertension prior to renal transplantation has traditionally been an indication for bilateral nephrectomy. The reasons for hypertension after successful renal transplantation are however many, and the impact of simultaneous bilateral nephrectomy (BN) in this setting has not been well documented. We retrospectively evaluated 158 living-donor renal graft recipients. BN had been performed in 76 patients at the time of the transplantation and 82 were not nephrectomized (controls). All received a triple immunosuppressive drug regimen. Before transplantation, patients in the BN group used 1.8 +/- 0.9 (mean +/- SD) antihypertensive drugs/day, significantly more than in the control group (1.3 +/- 0.8; P < 0.05). Three months after renal transplantation no difference was found (0.9 +/- 1.0 drugs/day in the BN group vs 1.0 +/- 0.8 drugs/day in the control group). No difference was found with respect to serum creatinine, whole blood cyclosporin A (CsA) concentration or blood pressure between the groups. The number of blood transfusions during the first week after transplantation was significantly increased in the BN group (66 SAG units vs 4 SAG units). The median hospitalization length was also longer in the BN group (21 days vs 16 days). In order to circumscribe the pre-transplant difference in use of antihypertensive medication we studied a subgroup of 62 hypertensive recipients (BN/control = 31/31) matched for number of antihypertensive drugs at the time of transplantation (2.3 +/- 0.5 drugs/day in the BN group, 2.1 +/- 0.3 drugs/day in the control group). Three months after transplantation the use of antihypertensive drugs remained the same in the two groups (1.3 +/- 1.0 drugs/day in the BN group vs 1.3 +/- 0.9 drugs/day in the control group). At 3 months no difference was found between the two hypertensive subgroups regarding serum creatinine, whole blood CsA and haemoglobin concentration or systolic blood pressure. However, the BN patients were younger than the control group (38 +/- 10 years vs 49 +/- 11 years, P < 0.05) and this may explain the marginally lower diastolic blood pressure observed in the BN group (82 +/- 10 mmHg vs 87 +/- 7 mmHg, P < 0.05). It is concluded that, in recipients of living-donor grafts, bilateral nephrectomy performed at the time of transplantation did not influence the number of antihypertensive drugs used 3 months after a successful transplantation. Bilateral nephrectomy did however increase the need of blood transfusions during the first week after transplantation and also the hospitalization length.

Glomerular ultrastructure in kidneys transplanted simultaneously with a segmental pancreas to patients with type 1 diabetes

BACKGROUND

Pancreas transplantation has been reported to prevent development and progression of diabetic glomerulopathy.

STUDY DESIGN

Kidneys transplanted to type 1 diabetic patients were investigated for signs of diabetic glomerulopathy. Biopsies were obtained from 11 patients 2-4 years after simultaneous pancreas and kidney transplantation and from six patients 2-6 years after kidney transplantation alone. During follow-up, glycaemic control was monitored as glycated haemoglobin and, in the pancreas transplant patients, as i.v. glucose tolerance.

RESULTS

Measures of glycaemic control were consistently normal in only two pancreas transplant patients. Four had mean k values <1.0. In kidney biopsies from the pancreas transplant patients, thickness of the glomerular basement membrane was 395 (0.13) nm (mean, coefficient of variation), which is higher than normal (324 (0.13) nm, P=0.01) and not different from diabetic patients with kidney transplants alone, 418 (0.15) nm. The mean calculated annual increase in thickness did not differ between patients with and without a pancreas transplant, 26 (0.77) versus 29 (0.54) nm/year. Estimates of the mesangium and mesangial matrix were in the normal range in both groups while the interstitial volume fraction was increased and to a similar extent.

CONCLUSION

The increase in thickness of the glomerular basement membrane in kidneys transplanted simultaneously with a segmental pancreas is probably an expression of diabetic glomerulopathy caused by the modest impairment in glucose metabolism present in most patients.

[Free vascular grafts in reconstructions in the head and neck region]

Since 1989, 40 free-tissue grafts were used in 39 patients to repair defects following major head and neck ablative surgery (n = 32) and for reconstruction of the mandible because of osteoradionecrosis or trauma (n = 7). The radial forearm flap was used in 17 patients (five including a segment of radius), the lateral arm flap in seven, fibula in five and a segment of ileum for restoration of the hypopharynx in 11 cases. Three radial forearm flaps and the bone in one lateral arm flap failed. Better functional and cosmetic results seem to be obtained with free flaps than with other reconstructive techniques.

[Severe mucormycosis after organ transplantation. Report of a case]

Opportunistic infections remain one of the penalties of the immunosuppression required for successful outcome of organ transplantation. We report the case of a 51 year old woman who, after having received combined kidney and pancreas transplants, developed invasive mucormycosis in the gastrointestinal tract. The hallmarks of successful management of this rare but potentially fatal fungal infection are radical surgical debridement, aggressive antimycotic therapy and control of any underlying diseases. Diagnostic and therapeutic approaches are discussed.

[Pancreas transplantation. A 10-year material]

A programme for pancreas transplantation was initiated in Oslo in 1983. Of a total of 100 transplants so far, 14 were performed as pancreas transplantation alone (PTA) in non-uremic diabetics (n = 9), or as pancreas after kidney (PAK), i.e. in diabetic patients with a functioning renal transplant (n = 5). Duct occluded segmental grafts were used until 1988, when the pancreaticoduodenal technique with bladder drainage was introduced. Since 1991, owing to a low graft survival rate in PAK and PTA cases, all pancreas transplantations have been performed simultaneously with a renal transplant, giving a one-year survival of 82%, 83% and 93% for kidney, pancreas and patient respectively. The authors give a brief overview of the experience gained during ten years, with a pancreas transplant rate of ten/year.

Aortoiliac reconstruction in preparation for renal transplantation

Aortoiliac angiography has always been an integral part of the pretransplantation work-up of renal transplant candidates in Norway. The present study was undertaken to investigate the value of this routine. Based on the angiograms of approximately 1400 patients evaluated for renal transplantation during the 7-year period 1984-1991, 26 were found to have aortic and/or iliac atherosclerosis requiring pretransplant vascular reconstruction. Fifteen of the 26 patients had aneurysm of the abdominal aorta and 11 had extensive aortoiliac occlusive disease. A prosthetic graft was inserted in 25 patients and endarterectomy of the aortic bifurcation was performed in one. The cause of death was coronary heart disease in four of six patients who died before, and in one patient who died after, transplantation. Sixteen patients received a renal transplant while four patients are still on the waiting list. Fifteen of the recipients are alive, 14 with functioning renal transplants. The low yield of patients below 40 years of age requiring vascular reconstruction calls into question the routine use of angiographic investigation of renal transplant candidates below this age. However, we recommend this routine for the higher age groups because it often provides the surgeon performing the transplantation with valuable information. Aortoiliac reconstruction as preparation for renal transplantation is advocated when atherosclerosis of a degree that may preclude transplantation is found. Because of the high risk of myocardial infarction in these patients, one must be especially aware of coronary atherosclerosis when evaluating patients for this procedure.

Fibro-muscular renal artery disease treated by extracorporeal vascular reconstruction and renal autotransplantation: short- and long-term results

Over a 16-year period (1973-1989), 63 renal autotransplants were performed in 59 patients for fibro-muscular dysplasia (FMD) with renal artery stenoses (42 kidneys) or aneurysms (21 kidneys). About two-thirds of the autotransplants were performed before percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) was established for clinical use. However, vascular disease at a site or type not suitable for PTA was present in 57 (90%) of the kidneys. Hypertension was the leading symptom in 56 patients, including four in whom renal autotransplantation was performed as an emergency for acute renal artery occlusion or malignant hypertension. Blood pressure returned to normal or improved in 51 (91%) and remained unchanged in five patients (9%) following autotransplantation. Three patients with renal artery aneurysm in whom haematuria and loin pain were the indications for treatment, became asymptomatic following surgical intervention. Bilateral renal autotransplantation was performed synchronously in one and sequentially in three patients. There were no operative deaths, but two kidneys were lost postoperatively in two 2-year-old children owing to renal vascular thrombosis. In the follow-up period (mean 4.3 years), one additional kidney was lost at 3 months owing to progressive FMD. Blood pressure and renal function remained stable in all other patients. Based on the excellent results achieved in this series, it is concluded that extracorporeal vascular repair and renal autotransplantation is a safe procedure for the patient as well as the kidney affected by FMD. The procedure is advocated as an alternative to in situ reconstruction in patients with renal artery disease not accessible to PTA, such as aneurysms and complex branch renal artery stenoses.

Fifteen years' experience with renal transplantation in systemic amyloidosis

At our center 62 renal transplantations (31 living donor and 31 cadaveric donor grafts) have been performed in 58 patients with amyloid renal disease since 1974. The amyloidosis was secondary to rheumatic disease in 74% of the patients. Predialytic transplantation was performed in 28% of the patients. Mean follow-up time was 5.1 years (0.3-14.5 years). One-year actuarial patient survival was 79%, decreasing to 65% after 5 years. First graft survival was 74% at 1 year and 62% at 5 years. Patient death with a functioning graft caused 16 out of 25 graft losses. Infections caused 11 out of 18 deaths (61%), more than half of them within 3 months. Renal transplant amyloid was diagnosed in about 10% of the cases (6/62); however, only about 3% of the grafts (2/62) were lost. These long-term results encourage transplantation in amyloid renal end-stage disease.

CT and angiography in adrenocortical carcinoma

CT and angiography were performed in 15 patients with adrenocortical carcinoma. The tumors had a mean diameter of 11 cm (range 4-20 cm). At CT, the 8 largest tumors were ill-defined, and in these, the organ of tumor origin could not be established. Angiographically the correct organ of tumor origin was established in all but one patient. It is concluded that CT is excellent in showing the extent of an adrenal tumor, but is often unable to predict the organ of origin in large tumors. Angiography is still of great value in the preoperative work-up in patients with large adrenocortical carcinomas for correct identification of tumor origin and for vascular mapping.

Long-term metabolic control in recipients of combined pancreas and kidney transplants

Metabolic glucose control was followed in 36 patients at 12-month intervals for up to 5 years after a successful combined kidney and segmental duct-occluded pancreas transplantation. All recipients had normal blood glucose levels at each examination. HbA1 values, intravenous glucose tolerance test, C-peptide levels and C-peptide responses to glucagon stimulation were also, on average, within the normal range. Several individual patients had, however, abnormal values for these parameters. At most 46% had abnormal values for HbA1 and intravenous glucose tolerance test, up to 13% showed low C-peptide values and up to 46% of the stimulated C-peptide responses were inadequate at the different intervals. These parameters did not deteriorate with time. This was true both for the whole group of patients as well as for the 6 patients with a 5-year observation time evaluated separately. Despite these abnormalities in glucose metabolism, all patients remained normoglycaemic without need for exogenous insulin up to 5 years after transplantation. The long-term ability of duct-occluded segmental pancreatic grafts to preserve euglycaemia therefore seems to remain intact at least for 5 years.

Indications and results of pancreatic transplantation: the Oslo experience 1983-1990

The Norwegian pancreas transplantation programme was initiated in June 1983. By November 1990, a total of 77 pancreatic transplantations had been performed, 63 simultaneously with a renal transplant. Five patients received pancreatic grafts after previous renal grafting while nine non-uraemic diabetic patients received pancreatic grafts only. In April 1988, the surgical technique was changed from duct-occluded segmental pancreas to whole pancreas grafting with duodenocystostomy. In recipients of combined grafts from the first group (segmental pancreatic grafts), the 1- and 5-year survival rates were 96% and 90% for the patients, 84% and 69% for renal grafts and 66% and 45% for pancreatic grafts. In the second group (whole pancreatic grafts with duodenocystostomy), the 6-month and 2-year survival rates were 87% at both intervals for the patients, 87% and 75% for both grafts. However, even though the bladder drainage technique allows isolated pancreas graft rejection to be diagnosed, the results of isolated pancreas grafting were not improved by this technique, and most of these grafts were lost in therapy-resistant graft rejection.

Rehabilitation and quality of life in diabetic patients after successful pancreas-kidney transplantation

Twenty-seven Type I diabetic patients in end-stage renal failure were followed after combined pancreas-kidney transplantation. All patients received duct-occluded segmental pancreas grafts. Clinical progression of extrarenal diabetic complications was studied in 11 patients with long-term functioning pancreatic and renal transplants (Group 1), and in 16 patients who had lost pancreatic graft function, but retained renal graft function (Group 2). Pretransplant, extrarenal diabetic complications were equally distributed in the two groups. In the follow-up period, however, the progress of these complications was less severe in patients with functioning pancreatic transplants. No differences were found between the groups concerning rehabilitation, working capacity, need of help or hospital admittance. It is suggested that pancreas transplantation performed in an earlier stage of diabetes before serious complications have developed, would probably improve rehabilitation and quality of life in these patients.