The use of a polymeric sealant for prevention of posttransplantation lymphocele.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of a synthetic polyethy lenglycol (PEG) sealant to prevent lymphocele formation after kidney transplantation. The examined group consisted of 719 recipients including 294 female and 425 male who were immunosuppressed with a calcineurin inhibitor, plus basiliximab since 1999, and with mycophenolate mofetil in addition since 2000. We retrospectively analyzed the incidence of lymphoceles among 545 recipients operated between November 1999 and November 2007 (group I), 93 recipients at standard risk for lymphocele transplanted between December 2007 and December 2009 (group II) in whom we performed only routine ligation of the lymphatic vessels during preparation of the graft, and 31 patients also transplanted between December 2007 and December 2009 who were at higher risk for lymphocele (group III) and underwent an off-label application of the PEG sealant. There was no significant difference in patient demographic features among the groups. In total, 21 group I, patients (3.5%) developed symptoms of a lymphocele that required ≥1 corrective procedures, whereas only 1 group II patient (1.07%) developed a lymphocele and no group III patient evidenced a symptomatic lymphocele. No adverse events were observed among group III patients after PEG sealant application. although the preliminary results are interesting, a prospective randomized study is required to assess the cost-effectiveness of PEG sealant to prevent lymphocele formation.

Value of intraoperative resistive index in kidney transplant.

The value of the resistive index (RI) obtained by echo color doppler evaluation of the transplanted kidney is still not well established. Many authors consider the RI to be nonspecific sign of rejection, acute tubular necrosis, or urinary tract obstruction, but its specificity remains low. In this paper, we report our experience with RI determinations in 34 consecutive kidney transplants at different times namely: perioperatively, at 24 hours, at 3 days, at 6 and at 9 days posttransplant. In all patients intraoperative RI was normal. RI increased significantly after transplantation in 10 patients who eventually developed a complication: delayed function, acute rejection, and spontaneous kidney ruptures. This increment from the baseline value was already significant at 24 hours after the kidney transplant, indicating a possible posttransplant complication (0.62 +/- 0.07 vs 0.76 +/- 0.04; P = .0004). We conclude that the value of RI in the early posttransplant phase should be considered an important aid for the early diagnosis of posttransplant complications.