ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: Since 2004, ABO-incompatible kidney transplantation (ABOi KTx) became an established procedure to expand the living donor pool in Germany. Currently, ABOi KTx comprises > 20% of all living donor KTx. Up to September 2015, > 100 ABOi KTx were performed in Freiburg. Regarding lymphocele formation, only scarce data exist. METHODS: Between April 2004 and September 2015, 106 consecutive ABOi and 277 consecutive ABO-compatible kidney transplantations (ABOc KTx) were performed. Two ABOi and 117 ABOc recipients were excluded due to differences in immunosuppression. One hundred-four ABOi and 160 ABOc KTx patients were analyzed concerning lymphocele formation. RESULTS: The incidence of lymphoceles in ABOi KTx was 25.2% and 10.6% in ABOc KTx (p = 0.003). A major risk factor appeared the frequency of ≥ 8 preoperative immunoadsorption and/or plasmapheresis sessions (OR 5.61, 95% CI 2.31-13.61, p < 0.001). Particularly, these ABOi KTx recipients had a distinctly higher risk of developing lymphocele (40.0% vs. 19.2%, p = 0.044). IA/PE sessions on day of transplantation (no lymphocele 20.0% vs. lymphocele 28.6%, p = 0.362) or postoperative IA/PE sessions (no lymphocele 25.7% vs. lymphocele 24.1%, p = 1.0) showed no influence on formation of lymphoceles. CONCLUSION: In ABOi KTx, the incidence of lymphocele formation is significantly increased compared to ABOc KTx and leads to more frequent surgical reinterventions without having an impact on graft survival.