Concurrent or sequential liver and kidney transplantation in children with primary hyperoxaluria type 1?

Effect of liver transplantation with primary hyperoxaluria type 1: Five case reports and review of literature

BACKGROUND

Primary hyperoxaluria type 1 (PH1) is a rare autosomal recessive disease stemming from a deficiency in liver-specific alanine-glyoxylate aminotransferase, resulting in increased endogenous oxalate deposition and end-stage renal disease. Organ transplantation is the only effective treatment. However, its approach and timing remain controversial.

CASE SUMMARY

We retrospectively analyzed 5 patients diagnosed with PH1 from the Liver Transplant Center of the Beijing Friendship Hospital from March 2017 to December 2020. Our cohort included 4 males and 1 female. The median age at onset was 4.0 years (range: 1.0-5.0), age at diagnosis was 12.2 years (range: 6.7-23.5), age at liver transplantation (LT) was 12.2 years (range: 7.0-25.1), and the follow-up time was 26.3 mo (range: 12.8-40.1). All patients had delayed diagnosis, and 3 patients had progressed to end-stage renal disease by the time they were diagnosed. Two patients received preemptive LT; their estimated glomerular filtration rate was maintained at > 120 mL/min/1.73 m², indicating a better prognosis. Three patients received sequential liver and kidney transplantation. After transplantation, serum and urinary oxalate decreased, and liver function recovered. At the last follow-up, the estimated glomerular filtration rates of the latter 3 patients were 179, 52 and 21 mL/min/1.73 m².

CONCLUSION

Different transplantation strategies should be adopted for patients based on their renal function stage. Preemptive-LT offers a good therapeutic approach for PH1.

Long-Term Transplantation Outcomes in Patients With Primary Hyperoxaluria Type 1 Included in the European Hyperoxaluria Consortium (OxalEurope) Registry

Introduction

In primary hyperoxaluria type 1 (PH1), oxalate overproduction frequently causes kidney stones, nephrocalcinosis, and kidney failure. As PH1 is caused by a congenital liver enzyme defect, combined liver–kidney transplantation (CLKT) has been recommended in patients with kidney failure. Nevertheless, systematic analyses on long-term transplantation outcomes are scarce. The merits of a sequential over combined procedure regarding kidney graft survival remain unclear as is the place of isolated kidney transplantation (KT) for patients with vitamin B6-responsive genotypes.

Methods

We used the OxalEurope registry for retrospective analyses of patients with PH1 who underwent transplantation. Analyses of crude Kaplan–Meier survival curves and adjusted relative hazards from the Cox proportional hazards model were performed.

Results

A total of 267 patients with PH1 underwent transplantation between 1978 and 2019. Data of 244 patients (159 CLKTs, 48 isolated KTs, 37 sequential liver–KTs [SLKTs]) were eligible for comparative analyses. Comparing CLKTs with isolated KTs, adjusted mortality was similar in patients with B6-unresponsive genotypes but lower after isolated KT in patients with B6-responsive genotypes (adjusted hazard ratio 0.07, 95% CI: 0.01–0.75, P = 0.028). CLKT yielded higher adjusted event-free survival and death-censored kidney graft survival in patients with B6-unresponsive genotypes (P = 0.025, P < 0.001) but not in patients with B6-responsive genotypes (P = 0.145, P = 0.421). Outcomes for 159 combined procedures versus 37 sequential procedures were comparable. There were 12 patients who underwent pre-emptive liver transplantation (PLT) with poor outcomes.

Conclusion

The CLKT or SLKT remains the preferred transplantation modality in patients with PH1 with B6-unresponsive genotypes, but isolated KT could be an alternative approach in patients with B6-responsive genotypes.

Combined and sequential liver-kidney transplantation in children

Combined and sequential liver-kidney transplantation (CLKT and SLKT) is a definitive treatment in children with end-stage organ failure. There are two major indications: - terminal insufficiency of both organs, or - need for transplanting new liver as a source of lacking enzyme or specific regulator of the immune system in a patient with renal failure. A third (uncommon) option is secondary end-stage renal failure in liver transplant recipients. These three clinical settings use distinct qualification algorithms. The most common indications include primary hyperoxaluria type 1 (PH1) and autosomal recessive polycystic kidney disease (ARPKD), followed by liver diseases associated with occasional kidney failure. Availability of anti-C5a antibody (eculizumab) has limited the validity of CLKT in genetic atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome (aHUS). The liver coming from the same donor as renal graft (in CLKT) is immunologically protective for the kidney and this provides long-term rejection-free follow-up. No such protection is observed in SLKT, when both organs come from different donors, except uncommon cases of living donation of both organs. Overall long-term outcome in CLKT in terms of graft survival is good and not different from isolated liver or kidney transplantation, however patient survival is inferior due to complexity of this procedure.

Longterm renal allograft survival after sequential liver-kidney transplantation from a single living donor

Combined liver-kidney transplantation (CLKT) is well established as a definitive therapy with the potential to provide complete recovery for certain liver-kidney diseases, although the results might be contingent on the cause of transplantation. The purposes of the present study were to review the longterm outcome of renal allografts in CLKT patients from single living donors and to investigate the beneficial factors, compared with solitary renal transplantation. Thirteen patients underwent sequential liver transplantation (LT) and kidney transplantation (KT) from single living donors. The indications for KT were oxaluria (n = 7), autosomal recessive polycystic disease (n = 3), and others (n = 3). The same immunosuppressive regimen used after LT was also used after KT. KT was performed between 1.7 and 47.0 months after the LT. The overall patient survival rate was 92.3% at 10 years. In 12 of the 13 surviving patients, the renal allografts were found to be functioning in 11 patients after a mean follow-up period of 103.6 months. The death-censored renal allograft survival rate at 10 years was 100%, which was better than that of KT alone (84.9%) in Japan. Immunological protection conferred by the preceding liver allograft may have contributed to the longterm outcomes of the renal allografts. In addition, the donation of double organs from a single living and related donor may have a favorable impact on the graft survival rate. In the future, investigations of factors affecting the longterm outcome of renal allografts, including details of the involvement of de novo donor-specific antibody, will be needed. Liver Transplantation 23 315-323 2017 AASLD.

Primary Hyperoxaluria Diagnosed Based on Bone Marrow Biopsy in Pancytopenic Adult with End Stage Renal Disease

Inborn errors of metabolism cause increase of metabolites in serum and their deposition in various organs including bone marrow. Primary hyperoxaluria (PH) is a rare inborn error in the pathway of glyoxylate metabolism which causes excessive oxalate production. The disease is characterized by widespread deposition of calcium oxalate (oxalosis) in multiple organs. Urinary tract including renal parenchyma is the initial site of deposition followed by extrarenal organs such as bone marrow. This case report introduces a 54-year-old woman with end stage renal disease presenting with debilitating fatigue and pancytopenia. The remarkable point in her past medical history was recurrent episodes of nephrolithiasis, urolithiasis, and urinary tract infection since the age of 5 years and resultant end stage renal disease in adulthood in the absence of appropriate medical evaluation and treatment. She had an unsuccessful renal transplantation with transplant failure. The patient underwent bone marrow biopsy for evaluation of pancytopenia. Microscopic study of bone marrow biopsy led to the diagnosis of primary hyperoxaluria.

Two-step transplantation for primary hyperoxaluria: a winning strategy to prevent progression of systemic oxalosis in early onset renal insufficiency cases

Several transplant strategies for PH1 have been proposed, and LT is performed to correct the metabolic defects. The patients with PH1 often suffer from ESRD and require simultaneous LKT, which leads to a long wait due to the shortage of suitable organ donors. Five patients with PH1 underwent LDLT at our institute. Three of the five patients were under dialysis before LDLT, while the other two patients were categorized as CKD stage 3. An isolated LDLT was successfully performed in all but our first case, who had complicated postoperative courses and consequently died due to sepsis after retransplantation. The renal function of the patients with CKD stage 3 was preserved after LDLT. On the other hand, our second case with ESRD underwent successful LDKT six months after LDLT, and our infant case is waiting for the subsequent KT without any post-LDLT complications after the early establishment of PD. In conclusion, a two-step transplant strategy may be needed as a life-saving option for patients with PH1 and may be possible even in small infants with systemic oxalosis. While waiting for a subsequent KT, an early resumption of PD should be considered from the perspective of the long-term requirement of RRT.

Sequential liver and kidney transplantation from a single living donor in two young adults with primary hyperoxaluria type 1

Using living donor organs for sequential liver and kidney transplantation (SeqLKT) in patients with primary hyperoxaluria type 1 (PH1) has emerged as a viable approach. Taking both organs from a single donor, however, is rare. There are 8 reported cases of SeqLKT in the literature, and in all but 1 case, children were the recipients. We present our experience with SeqLKT in 2 young adults with PH1. In the first case, with an interval between procedures of 4.5 months, SeqLKT was performed with a right liver lobe from a 47-year-old father for his 19-year-old son with PH1 who was on dialysis for 2 years before transplantation. Both the donor and the recipient had an uneventful recovery, although there was re-exploration for the control of bleeding in the recipient after liver transplantation. Thirty-three months after transplantation, the patient had normal liver and renal function. In the second case, with an interval between procedures of 22 days, SeqLKT was performed with organs from a 45-year-old father for his 19-year-old daughter with PH1 who was on dialysis for 8 months. The recipient procedures, including right liver lobe transplantation and kidney transplantation, were uneventful. The donor underwent percutaneous drainage of a subphrenic collection and subsequently fully recovered. Eighteen months after transplantation, the recipient's liver and renal allograft function was normal. In conclusion, because of the severe organ shortage, living related SeqLKT using the same donor should be carefully considered for young adults with PH1.

Combined split liver and kidney transplantation in a three-year-old child with primary hyperoxaluria type 1 and complete thrombosis of the inferior vena cava

PH1 is an inborn error of the metabolism in which a functional deficiency of the liver-specific peroxisomal enzyme, AGT, causes hyperoxaluria and hyperglycolic aciduria. Infantile PH1 is the most aggressive form of this disease, leading to early nephrocalcinosis, systemic oxalosis, and end-stage renal failure. Infantile PH1 is rapidly fatal in children unless timely liver-kidney transplantation is performed to correct both the hepatic enzyme defect and the renal end-organ damage. The surgical procedure can be further complicated in infants and young children, who are at higher risk for vascular anomalies, such as IVC thrombosis. Although recently a limited number of children with IVC thrombosis have underwent successful kidney transplantation, successful multi-organ transplantation in a child with complete IVC thrombosis is quite rare. We report here the interesting and technically difficult case of a three-yr-old girl with a complete thrombosis of the IVC, who was the recipient of combined split liver and kidney transplantation for infantile PH1. Although initial delayed renal graft function with mild-to-moderate acute rejection was observed, the patient rapidly regained renal function after steroid boluses, and was soon hemodialysis-independent, with good diuresis. Serum and plasma oxalate levels progressively decreased; although, to date they are still above normal. Hepatic and renal function indices were at, or approaching, normal values when the patient was discharged 15-wk post-transplant, and the patient continues to do well, with close and frequent follow-up. This is the first report of a successful double-organ transplant in a pediatric patient presenting with infantile PH1 complicated by complete IVC thrombosis.

Pediatric liver transplantation

In previous decades, pediatric liver transplantation has become a state-of-the-art operation with excellent success and limited mortality. Graft and patient survival have continued to improve as a result of improvements in medical, surgical and anesthetic management, organ availability, immunosuppression, and identification and treatment of postoperative complications. The utilization of split-liver grafts and living-related donors has provided more organs for pediatric patients. Newer immunosuppression regimens, including induction therapy, have had a significant impact on graft and patient survival. Future developments of pediatric liver transplantation will deal with long-term follow-up, with prevention of immunosuppression-related complications and promotion of as normal growth as possible. This review describes the state-of-the-art in pediatric liver transplantation.

Combined liver-kidney transplantation in children: indications and outcome

Although it remains a relatively infrequent procedure in children, CLKT has become a viable option for a select group of pediatric patients with severe liver and kidney disease. Most are performed for rare primary diseases such as PH1, but a selected few are performed in the setting of concomitant hepatic and renal failure of uncertain etiology and prognosis. This article reviews the indications for and outcomes following CLKT in children. While it focuses on the specific primary diseases which impact liver and kidney function simultaneously, it addresses the indications based on concomitant hepatic and renal failure, such as seen in the hepatorenal syndrome, as well.