Outcome of tonsillectomy for recurrent IgA nephropathy after kidney transplantation.

Since 2007, we have performed tonsillectomies for patients with recurrent immunoglobulin A nephropathy (IgAN) after kidney transplantation. Seven patients with primary IgAN showed biopsy-proven recurrent IgAN after living-donor kidney transplantation. They had persistent proteinuria or hematuria for an average of 40.3 months, and tonsillectomy was performed, on average, 75.6 months after kidney transplantation. In six patients with observation periods of more than one year, good remission of urinary findings was observed after tonsillectomy. We classified the seven patients into three types of renal injury based on histological findings: severe, moderate, and mild. Two patients classified with severe renal injury at the time of tonsillectomy had other problems, such as refractory hypertension and bilateral sinusitis. They followed a rapidly progressive clinical course. One case already had moderate histological renal injury. He demonstrated prompt amelioration of urinary findings after tonsillectomy but immediate deviation from remission of proteinuria and hematuria. In the four cases presenting mild renal injury at tonsillectomy, the improved urinary findings and serum creatinine value after tonsillectomy have persisted. In conclusion, tonsillectomy may be a favorable treatment for cases of mild-grade IgAN. However, other treatments such as antihypertensive agents and diet therapy may be necessary in other grades.

Findings of graft biopsy specimens within 90 days after ABO blood group incompatible living donor kidney transplantation compared with ABO-identical and non-identical transplantation.

As immunosuppressive therapy has advanced, we have markedly improved the outcome of ABO blood group incompatible living donor kidney transplantation. Consequently, graft survival at early phase after ABO-incompatible transplantation has been favorable than ABO-compatible transplantation in Japan. But in these days, it has been assumed that transplant glomerulopathy within one yr after ABO-incompatible kidney transplantation might be significantly precipitated. That may be because of chronic, active antibody-mediated rejection (AMR). We performed kidney graft biopsies at the early phase within 90 d after living donor kidney transplantation that involved the episode and protocol biopsies and studied findings of graft biopsy specimens when compared with ABO incompatible and compatible involving non-identical and identical transplantations. In ABO-incompatible transplant cases, the ratio occurring glomerulitis, especially severe injury of g 2-3, was significantly higher than that of identical and non-identical transplant cases (p < 0.01). There was no significant difference in t score, i score, ptc score and v score between three transplant groups. The cases occurring AMR were concordant with the cases recognized with severe glomerulitis. AMR was difficult to be diagnosed by C4d analysis in ABO-incompatible transplant cases. Glomerular injury score, g score, may be considered as more significant and the injury should be cured thoroughly.

Efficacy of tonsillectomy for patients with recurrence of IgA nephropathy after kidney transplantation.

From January 2007, we started to perform the tonsillectomy for every patient with recurrent IgA nephropathy (IgAN) after kidney transplantation. Up to September 2008, four recipients with primary IgAN had biopsy-proven recurrent IgAN. They had also progressive hematuria or proteinuria from on the average 14.3 months after transplantation. Then their specimens diagnosed as recurrent IgAN were collected and they underwent tonsillectomies on the average 52.3 months after transplantation. Abnormal urinary findings of all patients favorably improved after tonsillectomy. All cases but one had mild renal injury, where the severity of glomerular lesions, glomerular hypercellularity, segmental lesions, and sclerosis was mild, and no deteriorated serum creatinine (SCr) before their tonsillectomies. Even the case with exacerbated SCr and severe renal injury, where the severity of glomerular lesions was severe, had her urinary findings ameliorated promptly after tonsillectomy likely as others. At present, they have almost no symptoms after tonsillectomy and no remarkable change of SCr level compared with before and after tonsillectomy and maintain ameliorated urinary findings continuously. Tonsillectomy had possibility to be a favorable treatment of hematuria or proteinuria in recurrent IgAN recipients.