Ethical Issues in the Use of Suboptimal Kidneys for Transplants: An Italian Point of View.

The shortage of organs leads to the need for utilizing suboptimal kidneys for transplantation. The distinction between optimal, marginal, and suboptimal kidneys leads surgeons to face not only technical problems but also ethical and legal issues related to clinical advantages offered by the transplant of a nonstandard kidney and the acquisition of consent. Between 1999 and 2015, we performed 658 transplants, 49 (7.5%) using suboptimal kidneys. All patients were alive and with vital graft throughout follow-up. We did not encounter any major surgical complications. From a technical point of view, our experience and literature review confirm that transplant of suboptimal kidney leads to good clinical results but exposes patients to a increased risks of surgical complications. Therefore, these interventions must take place in hospitals fully prepared for this type of surgery and performed by experienced transplant surgeons with proper matching between organ and recipient. Considering the insufficient resources available, from an ethical and legal point of view, doctors play an essential role in optimizing the use of these kidneys by avoiding wastage of organs, ensuring that transplants are done in suitable patients, and that patients are fully informed and aware of the risks and benefits associated with the specific suboptimal kidney being transplanted. We believe that, in highly specialized centers, the number of suboptimal kidney transplants should be increased, as their use has shown good clinical results and carries fewer ethical issues compared with marginal kidneys. Further, suboptimal kidneys may also be proposed for use in young patients with end-stage renal disease.

[Imaging diagnosis of non-lymph node metastasis of bladder carcinoma]. / Diagnosi per immagini delle metastasi non linfonodali da carcinoma vescicale.

Assessment of presence of metastatic disease (m.d.) in bladder cancer (b.c.) can represent a main problem as influencing the appropriate therapeutic policy (mostly the indication to radical surgery). Evaluation of the real cost-effectiveness ratio of radiographic and radionuclide diagnostic work-up induced us to retrospectively review historical data about our b.c. patients (pts). From March 1988 to June 1991, 76 not consecutive pts with histologically proven bladder cancer were included in this study. 5 Pts were staged as T1, 25 as T2, 18 as T3a, 23 as T3b, 5 as T4. 2 Pts were graded as G1, 27 as G2, 44 as G3, 3 as Gx. Age varied from 39 to 89 years (average: 62.3). 79 Pts underwent the "basic work-up" (including chest plain film, bone and liver scans) and at least one follow-up control. 266 chest plain films, 22 chest x-ray tomograms, 2 chest CT scans, 27 bone x-ray tomograms, 231 bone scans, 240 liver scans, 17 liver ultrasonographies were totally realized. All pts underwent at least an abdomen-pelvic CT, but related results are not considered in the study. Fine needle aspiration cytologic biopsies were realized in selected cases; also these results are not selectively reported here. Together with cytologic positive results, only progression of m.d. was considered as its definite presence. Conventional x-ray examination (plain film integrated by x-ray tomograms of "suspicious" findings) resulted sufficiently complete and accurate to reveal chest m.d. Concerning skeletal diagnostic survey, only 6 pts (26%) out of 23 pts with "positive" bone scans really resulted affected by m.d.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)