Symptomatic Lower Extremity Deep Vein Thrombosis after Kidney Transplantation: a 40-Year Single Center Experience in Korea / 대한이식학회지

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: It is well known that kidney transplant recipients in Western countries are at high risk for development of lower extremity (LE) deep vein thrombosis (DVT). The aim of this study was to establish the frequency of symptomatic LE DVT, the time until their occurrence, and to define risk factors for them following kidney transplantation (KT) in Korea. METHODS: We performed a retrospective analysis of LE DVT among 1695 patients who were kidney transplant recipients between 1969 and 2009. All patients were symptomatic with objective diagnostic modalities. Results were compared with those for a cohort of kidney transplant recipients from the same center without DVT. RESULTS: During follow-up, 21 symptomatic LE DVTs (1.2%) occurred in 18 patients (1.1%). The mean interval between transplantation and a first episode of DVT was 77.1+/-76.6 months. No DVT episode developed within one month after KT. There were no significant differences in body mass index, graft function, donor age and sex, recipient sex, type of preoperative renal replacement therapy, immunosuppressive agents, and malignancy between the two groups. Patients who developed LE DVT had a significantly different recipient age, presence of diabetes mellitus, presence of acute rejection episodes, and type of donor (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Our retrospective study showed that the incidence of LE symptomatic DVT after KT is lower than after other surgeries performed in Korean hospitals and after KT performed in Western countries. There were no cases of symptomatic DVT within 1 month after KT. Our findings suggest that aggressive DVT prevention is not necessary for KT recipients in Korea.