A retrospective observational study to estimate the risk of HLA alloimmunization with blood transfusion: Can the risk be reduced by leucodepletion?

BACKGROUND: In this retrospective study, our aim was to find the effect of leucodepleted (LD) blood transfusions on the formation of anti-HLA-antibodies when compared to non-leucodepleted (non-LD) transfusions using Luminex-based method. METHODS: In this study, Luminex single antigen bead assay (L-SAB) and HLA typing were performed on 310 patients. Test positivity rates (as MFI - Mean florescence intensity) were analyzed according to the different sensitization events and gender. RESULTS: Of the 310 patients included in the study, 58.06% (180) patients were male and 41.93% (130) were female. The average age of the patients was 42.86 (±12.37) years. In this study, test positivity rates were significantly lower in the patients who received LD RBC units than in those who received non-LD RBC units (28.43% = 29 of 102 Vs 55.22% = 74 of 134, p < 0.05). In our study, transfusion combined with a history of pregnancy had higher number of significant HLA antibodies compared to cases where transfusion was the only sensitization event (81.81% = 18/22 Vs 39.71% = 85/214, p < 0.05). In addition, anti-HLA-antibodies-MFI were significantly (p < 0.01) higher in non-LD patients compared to LD patients. CONCLUSION: Patients who received LD RBC units had a significantly lower rate of transfusion-associated alloimmunization compared to those who received non-LD RBC units. Multiparous women had a high risk for transfusion-related alloimmunization compared to both nulliparous women and male patient. Furthermore, class I-anti-HLA-antibodies (HLA-B and HLA-A + B) were significantly associated with pregnancy sensitization and/or blood transfusion as a single sensitization.

Detection of donor-specific HLA antibodies: A retrospective observation in 350 renal transplant cases.

BACKGROUND: The main objective of this study was to determine the results of the cell-based assay (CDC-XM and FC-XM), and correlate with the results of solid phase assay (L-SAB). METHODS: In this retrospective study, 350 prospective renal transplant recipients were tested for the presence of HLA antibodies by CDC-XM, FC-XM and L-SAB screening with their corresponding donor. RESULTS: T-cell-FC-XM showed a sensitivity of 71.43% and a specificity of 91.50% for detecting class I L-SAB (+), while B-cell-FCXM showed a sensitivity of 94.94% and a specificity of 61.99% for detecting class II L-SAB (+). On the other hand, T-CDC-XM showed a sensitivity of 32.14% and a specificity of 98.64% for detecting class I L-SAB (+), while B-CDC-XM showed a sensitivity of 44.30% and a specificity of 94.83% for detecting class II L-SAB (+). In this study, the results indicated that DSA class I MFI value of 2845 and above significantly (p ≤0.001) correlated with T-cell-FC-XM positivity, while MFI value of 4585 and above (p ≤0.001) showed strong predictive accuracy of a positive T-cell-CDC-XM. However, DSA class II MFI cut-off of 1988 and above significantly (p ≤0.001) correlated with B-cell-FC-XM positivity, while MFI value of 5986 and above (p ≤0.001) showed strong predictive accuracy of a positive B-cell-CDC-XM. CONCLUSIONS: Our study showed that CDC-XM has poor sensitivity, while FC-XM has poor specificity to detect DSA. L-SAB has good correlation with T-cell-FC-XM (p < 0.0001) but not with B-cell-FC-XM (P = 0.31). DSA strength >2845 and > 1988 significantly correlated with T-cell-FC-XM positivity and B-cell-FC-XM positivity, respectively. While, a MFI value of >4585 and > 5986 significantly correlated with T-cell-CDC-XM positivity and B-cell-CDC-XM positivity, respectively. These MFI cut-off values could serve as a surrogate marker for CDC-XM and FC-XM tests and may help in resolving the limitations of cell-based techniques. In conclusion, we found that L-SAB is more sensitive and specific than CDC-XM and FC-XM and therefore may be used as a test of choice.

A case of successful desensitization using therapeutic plasma exchange in high-risk HLA incompatible kidney transplantation.

Advances in immune suppression therapies and desensitization have made possible kidney transplantation regardless of HLA incompatibility. Single antigen bead assay (SAB) is a semi-quantitative estimation of the amount of human leukocyte antigen (HLA) antibodies present in the recipient plasma, and mean fluorescence intensity (MFI) generated gives this rough estimation of the antibodies present in the recipient. Here we present a case of successful kidney transplantation in a patient who expressed DSA with high MFI. A 33-yr-old male, diagnosed with chronic kidney disease (CKD) on regular maintenance hemodialysis, opted for second kidney transplant with his sibling as prospective donor and was referred to the department of Transplant Immunology for histocompatibility testing. Patient had HLA incompatibility with multiple DSA identified by SAB. Patient undergone 20 sessions of plasma exchange till discharge and finally till 6 months graft was functioning well. The authors thus conclude that the option of a high-risk HLA incompatible kidney transplant can be offered to recipients with high MFI DSA, who wish to undergo transplantation for end stage renal disease.

Effects of different sensitization events on HLA alloimmunization in renal transplant cases; a retrospective observation in 1066 cases.

BACKGROUND: Patients awaiting solid organ transplantation may develop anti-HLA antibodies after sensitization events such as transfusions, pregnancies, or previous transplantations. However, the effects of a particular sensitization event on HLA alloimmunization have not been well studied in parallel using cell-based assays and solid-phase assays. In this study, we evaluated and compare how different sensitization events affect the HLA antibody screening (HLA-Ab) and donor specific antibody (DSA) status in solid renal organ transplantation patients. METHODS: HLA antibody (HLA-Ab) screening tests like complement-dependent cytotoxicity crossmatch (CDC-XM), flow cytometry crossmatch (FC-XM) and Luminex panel-reactive antibody (L-PRA) were performed in all 1066 patients (635 males and 431 females). If any of these tests turned out to be positive, a Luminex single antigen bead (L-SAB) assay was performed for DSA identification. Test positive rates and antibody strengths were analyzed according to the different sensitization events and gender. RESULTS: In this study, HLA-Ab screening tests positive rates (L-PRA, FC-XM and CDC-XM) were significantly higher in patients with previous transplantation (73.91%, 100% and 56.52% p < 0.001), previous pregnancy (57.46%, 70.14% and 18.85% p < 0.001) or blood transfusion (27.33%, 35.55% and 7.33% p < 0.001) compared with patients without a sensitizing event (6.17%, 13.58% and 1.09). In this study, re-transplantation group showed significantly stronger antibody strength (DSA) than non sensitized group (class I and II MFI 11418.04, 17,837.78 vs class I and II MFI 2659, 3329; P < 0.001) and those with single sensitization events of transfusion (class I and II MFI 11418.04, 17,837.78 vs class I and II MFI 5790.26, 6004.16; P < 0.001) or pregnancy (class I & II MFI 11418, 17,837 vs class I and II MFI 8631.71, 7253.29; P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Pregnancy and blood transfused had high allo-immunization rate for class I HLA antigens. While re-transplantation patients had high allo-immunization rate for both the HLA classes (HLA- class I and HLA- class II). Re-transplantation group showed significantly stronger antibody strength, followed by pregnancy and then transfusion.

Significance of Luminex-crossmatch assay and its mean fluorescence intensity - a retrospective observation in 380 renal transplant cases.

<b>Introduction:</b> Cell-based complement-dependent cytotoxicity crossmatch (CDC-XM) and solid phase assays were introduced for assessing HLA antibodies. However, the complexity of data from cell-based and solid phase assays have led to potential confusion about how to use the results for clinical decision making. </br></br> <b> Aim:</b> Aim of this study was to compare results of cell-based assay and solid phase assay, to evaluate the usefulness of L-XM for pretransplant detection of HLA class I and II donor-specific IgG antibodies, correlate the mean fluorescence intensity (MFI) values of class I and class II L-XM assay and with CDC-XM and L-PRA (panel reactive antibodies) results. </br></br> <b> Methods:</b> In this retrospective study, 380 prospective renal transplant recipients were tested for the presence of HLA antibodies by CDC-XM, IgG-L-XM, IgG-L-PRA & L-SAB screening with their corresponding donor. </br></br> <b>Results:</b> Fifty-one recipients (13.42%) had a positive CDC-XM. L-XM was positive in 125 recipients (32.89%); class I-L-XM was positive in 46 (36.80%) cases, and class II-L-XM was positive in 58 (46.4%) cases and 21 (16.8%) samples were positive for class I and class II. High background was present in 22 (5.87%) samples, the results of which were confirmed by retesting or by correlation with L-PRA and L-SAB assays. </br></br> <b>Conclusion:</b> The introduction of more sensitive approaches for the detection of anti-HLA-IgG-antibodies, such as L-XM and L-PRA assay, has allowed the identification of anti-HLA-antibodies in recipient serum which is not usually identified by CDC-XM alone. However, L-XM has some limitations; they can be overcome if we combine this assay with L-PRA.

Outcome of desensitization in human leukocyte antigen and ABO incompatible living donor kidney transplantation: Single center experience of first 200 incompatible transplants.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Although desensitization is well established, concerns about graft outcome, patient survival and rejection still exist. The present study aims at comparing outcomes of renal transplant recipients across simultaneous ABO and human leukocyte antigen (HLA) incompatibility barriers to those with ABO or HLA incompatibility alone. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a retrospective study conducted from October 2015 to December 2018. All patients with a clinical diagnosis of chronic kidney disease, who were prospective HLA incompatible (HLAi) and/or ABO incompatible (ABOi) renal transplant recipients were included. A total of 400 cases including 36 ABOi transplants, 154 HLAi transplants, 10 simultaneously ABO and HLA incompatible transplants, and 200 ABO (ABOc) and HLA (HLAc) compatible kidney transplants from living donors were included. RESULTS: There were significantly more number of blood transfusions, previous transplants and pregnancies in HLAi transplant recipients relative to the ABOi or the control group. Mean number of therapeutic plasma exchange procedures per patient and mean plasma volume processed per procedure were slightly higher in the ABOi + HLAi category. The incidence of graft dysfunction due to suspected antibody-mediated rejection during first year was highest in the ABOi + HLAi group, followed by ABOc + HLAi and ABOi + HLAc, lowest in the ABOc + HLAc category. Mean time to first episode of graft dysfunction was significantly shorter with incompatible transplants. There were no kidney transplant recipient deaths in the study. CONCLUSION: Patient outcome and graft outcomes observed with incompatible transplants were not worse than those observed with compatible transplants.

Comparative analysis of complement-dependent lymphocytotoxicity crossmatch and flow cytometry crossmatch results versus Luminex single-antigen bead-based donor-specific IgG class I antibody MFI values in live related renal transplant cases; a retrospective observation in 102 cases.

The aim of this study was to compare the results of solid phase assay and cell-based assay, and explore the near-accurate DSA-MFI-cutoff value detected on solid phase assay above which the cell-based assay would show a positive result. In this retrospective study, 102 prospective renal transplant recipients were tested for the presence of donor-specific antibodies (DSAs) by cell-based assay (T-cell-CDC-AHG-XM and T-cell-IgG-FC-XM) and solid phase assay (class-I-IgG-L-SAB) with their corresponding donor. Among the 40 patients in the group first (L-SAB-DSA-MFI<1000), one case was positive in IgG-T-cell-FC-XM while T-cell-CDC-AHG-XM was negative in all the cases. In the second group having L-SAB-DSA-MFI values between 1000 and 3000, 19 cases were positive and the remaining 11 cases were negative in IgG-T-cell-FC-XM. T-cell-CDC-AHG-XM showed a negative reaction in all 30 cases. In the third group having L-SAB-DSA-MFI values between 3000 and 5000, IgG-T-cell-FC-XM was positive in 18 cases while, two were negative. T-cell-CDC-AHG-XM demonstrated a negative result in 14 cases while reaming six cases demonstrated a positive result. In the fourth group having L-SAB-DSA-MFI values >5000, all 12 cases showed a positive result in both IgG-T-cell FC-XM and T-cell-CDC-AHG-XM. Our results indicated that the L-SAB-DSA-MFI values >2215 were significantly (P < .001) correlated with positive IgG-T-cell-FC-XM while L-SAB-DSA-MFI values >4689 were significantly (P < .001) correlated with positive CDC-XM.

Therapeutic apheresis in ABO-incompatible kidney and liver transplantation: A single-center experience of 50 patients.

ABO antigens play an important role in solid organ transplantation. Desensitization for ABO incompatibility offers patients awaiting transplant a larger donor pool. The aim of this study was to assess outcome of desensitization using the institutional preconditioning protocol in ABO-incompatible solid organ transplants. A retrospective analysis of ABO-incompatible solid organ transplants between October 2015 and June 2018, at a tertiary healthcare center was performed. The preconditioning regimen consisted of immunosuppression and therapeutic apheresis (TA). Pre- and post-TA titers were performed, until a target titer of 8 or below was achieved, at which transplant was performed. Follow-up data till 1 year was analyzed. A total of 50 ABO-incompatible solid organ transplantations, including 14 liver transplants and 36 renal transplants were analyzed. The median baseline anti-A and anti-B titers were 192 and 256, respectively. A total of 150 therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE) procedures were performed for renal transplant recipients; 19 TPE and eight immunoadsorption procedures (five preoperative and three intraoperative) were performed for liver transplant recipients. Five (10%) patients experienced minor adverse events. Biopsy revealed antibody-mediated rejection was observed in three cases in the immediate posttransplant phase and in three (6.67%) cases over 1 year. There was one death due to transplant-associated thrombotic microangiopathy. Graft survival for renal transplant was 100% and death-censored graft survival for liver transplant was 100%. Despite difficulties, ABO-incompatible transplants can be performed without antibody-mediated rejection with the use of an appropriate protocol.

Clinical outcome of living donor kidney transplantation across simultaneous ABO and HLA incompatibility: Single center experience of first ten cases.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Preconditioning using different protocols has been tested to prevent antibody mediated rejection (ABMR) individually for ABO and HLA incompatibility. However, simultaneous presence of both barriers is still less explored. The aim of this study was to report outcomes of institutional desensitization protocol in renal transplant recipients with simultaneous ABO and HLA incompatibility. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a retrospective study conducted from October 2015 to December 2018. All patients with a clinical diagnosis of dialysis dependent chronic kidney disease (CKD), who were prospective coexistent HLA and ABO incompatible renal transplant recipients were included in the study. Patients were followed up and graft function and patient survival was assessed at 1 y from the date of transplant. RESULTS: Median and mode baseline anti-A titers were 64, while median and mode baseline anti-B titers were 256. All recipients were discharged by tenth postoperative day. None of the patients had any bleeding complications. Post transplant infection rate was found to be 20 %. A total of 54 therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE) procedures were performed before transplant and 8 were performed after transplant. Graft survival and patient survival was 100 % at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months. Range and mean follow-up period was 15-42 months and 23 months respectively. Mean glomerular filtration rate (GFR) at 1 y using the CKD-EPI equation was 85.25 ± 13.76 mL/min. Biopsy proven ABMR was observed in one case only which was managed with TPE and immunosuppression. CONCLUSION: Simultaneous ABO and HLA incompatibility in renal transplant recipients can be managed successfully with adequate preconditioning and careful monitoring.

Significance of Luminex-based single antigen class II bead assay and its mean fluorescence intensity in renal transplant cases; a retrospective observation in 97 cases.

The objective of this study was to determine the mean fluorescence intensity (MFI) values of class II Luminex single antigen bead (L-SAB) assay and compare these MFI values with cell-based complement-dependent cytotoxicity crossmatch with anti-human globulin (CDC-AHG-XM) and IgG-B-cell flow cytometry crossmatch (FC-XM) results and explore the near-accurate MFI-cutoff values of positive cell-based crossmatch results. This retrospective study was an analysis in 97 renal transplant recipients, who were tested for the presence of DSA by CDC-AHG-XM and IgG-B-cell-FC-XM methods with their corresponding donor as well as for anti-human leukocyte antigen (HLA) antibody detection using a sensitive L-SAB assay. In the group having DSA MFI values <1000, none of the patients showed positivity for FC-XM and CDC-AHG-XM; in the group having MFI values between 1000 and 3000, 35.48% showed positivity for FC-XM but none by the CDC-AHG-XM method. However, in the group having MFI values >3000, 83.33% of cases were positive for FC-XM. Further, in those groups with MFI values between 3000 and 6000, 38.09% were positive for CDC-AHG-XM, while 86.66% showed positivity in the group with MFI >6000. Our results indicated that Luminex-DSA MFI value >1995 (P < .0001) significantly correlated with IgG-B-cell-FC-XM positivity while Luminex-DSA MFI value of >4247 (P < .0006) was significantly correlated with positive CDC-AHG-XM. MFI cutoff of 1995 exhibited a diagnostic sensitivity of 97.56% and specificity of 89.29% for predicting positive IgG B-cell FC-XM and MFI cutoff of 4247 exhibited a diagnostic sensitivity of 90.48% and specificity of 97.37% for predicting positive CDC-AHG-XM. However, a cutoff MFI of >5000 and >7000 for SAB assay had a sensitivity and specificity of 100% in detecting a positive IgG B-cell FC-XM and CDC-AHG-XM, respectively.

Renal transplantation in HLA sensitized patients: Traversing the immunological barrier.

Successful renal transplantation across HLA barrier in sensitized individuals has been on the rise during the past decade, primarily due to improved desensitization regimes. The aim of this study was to share outcome of desensitization in renal transplant recipients with donor-specific anti-HLA antibodies (DSA). This was a retrospective analysis of all HLA immunized individuals who were prospective renal transplant recipients. All such patients underwent preconditioning as per the institutional desensitization protocol. Complement-dependent cytoxicity-based crossmatch (CDC-XM), luminex-based crossmatch (LM-XM) and flowcytometry-based crossmatch (FC-XM) were done in all cases. If any of these tests turned out positive, single antigen bead assay (SAB) was performed. Desensitization for DSA was performed in 55 patients and all patients were followed-up for 1 year to assess graft function and patient outcome. CDC-XM being a less sensitive assay, could not detect incompatibility in 29 (52.73%) cases. After desensitization, even though SAB and LM-XM results revealed an MFI within acceptable range, FC-XM being an extremely sensitive assay, continued to give a positive result in eight (14.55%) cases. The mean ± SD number of pretransplant TPE were 3.44 ± 0.98 (2-11). Out of 55, there were 10 patients who were lost to follow up. Patient and graft survival of 45 patients at 1 year was found to be 100%. Preconditioning for renal transplants in the form of immunosuppression with TPE is an extremely useful auxiliary for transplantation in HLA sensitized renal transplant recipients.

Histopathological changes of radial artery wall in patients of chronic kidney disease stage 5 undergoing AV fistula formation and their correlation with serum iPTH levels.

Vascular complications arise in uremic patients in the absence of clinically significant atherosclerotic disease. Elevated serum parathyroid hormone (PTH) and abnormal calcium (Ca) and phosphorus (P) balance have been implicated in vascular damage in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients, but there is lack of histo-pathological studies. Patients with CKD stage 5 and 5D who underwent arterio-venous fistula were included in this study. Baseline and laboratory parameters including assessment of total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides, uric acid, albumin, calcium, phosphorus, intact PTH (iPTH) and vitamin D level were documented. The specimens of the arterial wall were obtained during the procedure and were analyzed. Patients were divided into two groups iPTH <400 (Group A) and iPTH >400 (Group B). Mean intimal thickness (IT) was significantly high in patients of Group B (60.4 ± 24.1 µ m) as compared with patients of Group A (37.8 ± 14.9 µm) (P = 0.003). Vascular calcification was comparable in both groups. The iPTH level was found to be an independent risk factor for high intima thickness (correlation coefficient 0.653) (P-value <0.01). Patients with high (≥ 400 pg/mL) iPTH have 8.93 times the risk of developing intimal thickness of ≥ 60 µ m as compared with patients with low (<400 pg/mL) iPTH (P-value <0.05), with 95% confidence interval of 1.27, 62.61. The mean IT of the radial artery significantly correlated with the iPTH level, while vascular calcification was independent of the iPTH level. Hyperparathyroidism is an important cause of ongoing vascular damage and may contribute to higher vascular events in CKD patients.

The Diagnostic Role of the Marginal Vacuoles in FNAC of Solitary Thyroid Nodules.

CONTEXT: FNAC thyroid is more sensitive as well as specific in segregating neoplastic and non-neoplastic thyroid lesions. Identification of predominant cell pattern, cell morphology and background details in FNAC smears play an important role in categorisation of various thyroid lesions with accuracy. Marginal vacuoles (MVs) have been described as irregular cytoplasmic vacuoles with largely unstained central area. MVs, although suggestive of thyrotoxicosis, are non-specific, as they are also encountered in non- toxic goitre, Hashimoto's thyroiditis and follicular carcinoma. This cytologic finding therefore deserves further study to precisely delineate its utility. Aims & Objective: To investigate whether MVs have a diagnostic role in FNAC of solitary thyroid nodule Setting & Design: This study was conducted on 40 patients who presented with solitary thyroid nodule. METHODS & MATERIAL: Forty patients having solitary thyroid nodule were subjected to FNAC on an outpatient basis. Their cytomorphological features were studied with special attention to presence of MVs. MVs if present were then graded as no/ scant (gradeI ), moderate (gradeII) and abundant (gradeIII). RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Majority (77.5%) of nodular goitres had insignificant MVs (gradeI) in their smears. Significant MVs (gradeII+III) were limited to autoimmune thyroiditis presenting as solitary nodule and follicular neoplasms. Abundant MVs/ gradeIII were seen in follicular neoplasm only. MVs were not present in rest of neoplastic goitres. This implies that MVs are a marker of follicular differentiation.

A study on the biochemical and the morphological changes in the liver in renal transplant recipients with an evidence of the HBV and the HCV infections.

CONTEXT: Renal transplantation is the definitive treatment in renal failure patients. Liver disease is a known problem in renal transplant recipients. They may be consequent to immunosuppression, drug toxicity, altered immune response to viruses and hemodialysis. AIMS: The aim of this study was to analyze and correlate the biochemical parameters and histopathology of liver biopsy among renal transplant recipients with both HBV and HCV infection and to correlate them. SETTING: The study group had thirty cases. Enrolment criteria included coinfection with HBV and HCV ; elevated liver enzymes and recipient of renal allograft. There was acontrol group of ten patients who were HBC and HCV positive but had not undergone renal transplant. MATERIAL & METHODS: Liver function tests including alkaline phosphatase, SGOT, SGPT and serum bilirubin levels were donet. Percutaneous liver biopsies were carried out using Menghini's needle.. Stains done included hematoxylin and eosin (H & E), vanGieson, reticulin and Perl's stain. Histopathological grading was performed using Metavir scoring system. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was done where required for ground glass hepatocytes. Correlation of SGOT, SGPT and Alkaline phosphatase of the study group and the controls was carried out with the grading. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Statistical tests done included paired "t" test at 5% and test of probability. RESULTS: There was no statistically significant correlation between the controls and the transplanted patients. It was concluded that serum enzyme levels could be used to predict histological grade in the control group but not in the transplant recipients (p>0.05).

Laparoscopic right donor nephrectomy: endo TA stapler is safe and effective.

Although laparoscopic donor nephrectomy is now a well-accepted alternative to traditional open donor nephrectomy at many transplantation centers, there are always concerns regarding quality of graft and vessels after laparoscopic harvest, especially with right donor nephrectomy. Several methods of graft retrieval have been explored to achieve acceptable graft outcome. We share our initial experience at the Institute of Kidney Diseases and Research Center, Amedabad, India of laparoscopic right donor nephrectomy performed by subcostal open, and pure laparoscopic approach with the use of Endo TA stapler. Nine laparoscopic right donor nephrectomies were performed by the trans-peritoneal approach at our centre from January 2006 to March 2007. In the first five cases, the grafts were retrieved through subcostal incision (Group A) and the last four cases were performed purely laparoscopically by using Endo TA stapler device (Group B). None of the patients needed open conversion. The mean operative time and hospital stay were comparable in each group. The warm ischemia time was longer in pure laparoscopic group (415 seconds) than the subcostal open approach group (176 seconds). The serum creatinine of the recipients on day seven was comparable in both the groups. The recipient surgery was effectively performed with graft retrieved using Endo TA stapler device (Group B) without any compromise to the renal vein length. Our study suggests that the Endo TA stapler device is safe and provides all the benefits of minimally invasive surgery to the donor.

Obtaining cuff of inferior vena cava by use of the Endo-TA stapler in retroperitoneoscopic right-side donor nephrectomy.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the feasibility of obtaining an adequate cuff of the inferior vena cava (IVC) for vascular anastomosis during retroperitoneoscopic donor nephrectomy. METHODS: Between September 2004 and May 2005, a total 100 retroperitoneoscopic donor nephrectomies were performed. Fifteen cases were performed on the right side. The Endo-TA stapler was used to obtain the cuff of IVC in all cases of right-side donor nephrectomy. RESULTS: Mean warm ischemia time was 4.9 minutes (range, 2.96 to 8.0 minutes). Mean length of the cuff of IVC was 4 mm (range, 3 to 6 mm) at the upper end and 6 mm (range, 4 to 8 mm) at the lower end of the vein. All grafts functioned immediately, and there was one graft loss due to vascular rejection. CONCLUSIONS: Control of the renal vein by use of the Endo-TA stapler during retroperitoneoscopic donor nephrectomy helps in obtaining a good vascular cuff of the IVC.

Xanthogranulomatous cystitis.

Xanthogranulomatous cystitis (XC) is a rare benign chronic inflammatory disease of unknown etiology. We report a patient of XC managed with long-term antibiotics and augmentation cystoplasty. A 50-year-old man presented with urgency, frequency, hematuria and lower abdominal pain. Investigations revealed small capacity bladder with diverticula and cystoscopy showed inflamed bladder with multiple small polypoidal growth that had histological findings suggestive of XC on biopsy. Patient was treated with augmentation cystoplasty and prolonged administration of broad-spectrum antibiotics. Postoperative course was uneventful and patient remains asymptomatic at 1-year follow-up. XC is rare entity of unknown etiology. Patients may be given a trial of long-term broad-spectrum antibiotics.

An unusual case of urinary tract obstruction due to imperforate hymen in an 11-month-old infant.

Variations in the anatomy of the hymen are common and imperforate hymen is an extreme manifestation. In spite of the recommendations for early inspection of the external genitalia, hymenal malformations escape diagnosis until the time of menarche. Rarely, female infants with imperforate hymen present with urologic complications. We would like to present an unusual case of urinary retention in an 11-month-old female infant due to imperforate hymen. This infant was successfully treated surgically.

Case report: laparoscopic Boari flap.

A Boari flap may be required to bridge long defects of the middle and lower ureter to the bladder. Laparoscopic construction of a Boari flap was performed in a patient with a ureteral stricture secondary to iatrogenic injury. The salient steps performed were spatulation of the transected ureteral end, fashioning of a Boari flap from the bladder, end-to-side anastomosis of the ureter to the flap, placement of a stent with the aid of a suction cannula, and closure of the flap over the stent. A Boari flap can be accomplished laparoscopically with minimal morbidity.