MRI Insights in Chiari Malformation Type 1 and Variations With Hydrosyringomyelia.

Chiari malformation (CM) type 1 is a complex neurological disorder characterized by the displacement of the cerebellar tonsils into the upper spinal canal. Hydrosyringomyelia (HSM), which frequently coexists with this condition, presents diagnostic and treatment problems due to its broad spectrum of symptoms. There are various forms of CMs, with CM type 1 (CM1) being the most common type. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is the best imaging technique to properly identify and diagnose CM1 and HSM. Important imaging findings include downward displacement of the cerebellar tonsils across the foramen magnum, the appearance of the syrinx in the spinal cord, and the alteration of the flow dynamics of the cerebrospinal fluid. This study was conducted at Datta Meghe Medical College, Nagpur, and Government Medical College & Super Speciality Hospital, Nagpur, India. It focuses on the diagnostic use of MRI in CM1 and its variations associated with HSM. Individuals who are asymptomatic may not need any treatment; however, those who are symptomatic or have HSM may require surgical decompression and restoration of the flow. We discuss the findings of MRI of six cases of CM1 and its variants with HSM and search for possible underlying causes. We conclude that magnetic resonance imaging is an imaging modality for the identification and evaluation of CM1 in cases of HSM.

Clinical Profile of Nonproteinuric Kidney Disease in Type 2 Diabetic Patients in India.

Background: Diabetic kidney disease (DKD) is the commonest cause of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) across the world. Development of microalbuminuria is the earliest marker of DKD and predicts progressive decline in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR). However, recent evidence has suggested that a significant proportion of type 2 diabetic patients have chronic kidney disease (CKD) without proteinuria. Methods: In this single-center, prospective observational study, 400 consecutive type 2 diabetic patients with either overt proteinuria (>500 mg/day) and/or renal dysfunction eGFR <60 ml/min/1.73 m2) were recruited. Baseline demographic and clinical data were recorded. eGFR and proteinuria were recorded at 6 months and 1 year. Patients with proteinuric (proteinuria >0.5 g/day) and nonproteinuric phenotypes were compared for progression of renal dysfunction in terms of doubling of serum creatinine and need for dialysis. Results: In our study cohort, 106 (26.5%) were nonproteinuric. Both the groups were similar in terms of gender, duration of diabetes, comorbidities, body mass index (BMI), blood pressure control, and glycemic control. The nonproteinuric group was older (56.5 ± 2.1 vs. 54.7 ± 11.6 years, P = 0.012), had lesser prevalence of diabetic retinopathy (49 [46.2%] vs. 218 [74.1%], P < 0.001), higher hemoglobin levels (11.3 ± 1.7 vs. 10.5 ± 2.0 g/dl, P < 0.001), and higher cholesterol levels (169.3 ± 43.3 vs 157.1 ± 58.1 mg/dl, P = 0.025). The nonproteinuric phenotype had higher eGFR at baseline, 6 months, and 1 year. However, doubling of serum creatinine (10 [9.4%] vs. 48 [16.3%]) and progression to ESRD (5 [4.7%] vs. 19 [6.5%], P = 0.159) were not different between the two phenotypes. Conclusion: Nonproteinuric DKD is common. Patients with nonproteinuric DKD tend to be older with a slower decline in eGFR.

Evaluation of plasma and urine neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) as an early diagnostic marker of acute kidney injury (AKI) in critically ill trauma patients.

Background and Aims: Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a frequent complication of severe trauma associated with high mortality. The aim of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic ability of plasma and urine neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) as an early marker of AKI assessed by RIFLE criteria as reference in trauma patients in intensive care unit (ICU). Material and Methods: This was a prospective observational study. Four hundred and eighteen patients admitted in the trauma ICU with age ≥18 years without known renal diseases were followed-up (serum creatinine, urine output, and estimated glomerular filtration rate) for 5 consecutive days. As per RIFLE criteria, 70 patients were broadly classified as AKI and rest of the patients (n = 348) as non-AKI. Plasma and urine samples of AKI (n = 70) and non-AKI (n = 70) patients were further assessed for 3 consecutive days following admission. Results: Mean plasma NGAL (pNGAL) was significantly elevated in AKI patients as compared with non-AKI patients; on admission: 204.08 versus 93.74 ng/mL (P = 0.01); at 24 h: 216.73 versus 94.63 ng/mL (P = 0.01); and 48 h: 212.77 versus 86.32 ng/mL (P = 0.01). Mean urine NGAL (uNGAL) at 48 h was also significantly elevated: 15.45 ng/mL in AKI patients as compared with 13.48 ng/mL in non-AKI patients (P = 0.01). Plasma and urine NGAL levels were significantly associated with increased mortality. Conclusion: pNGAL had good predictive value on admission (area under the receiver operative characteristic [AUROC] 0.84), at 24 h (AUROC 0.88) and 48 h (AUROC 0.87), while uNGAL had moderate performance at 24 h (AUROC 0.61) and 48 h (AUROC 0.71). pNGAL can be used as an early and potent diagnostic and predictive marker of AKI and mortality in critically ill trauma patients.

Utility and patient acceptance of telemedicine in nephrology.

PURPOSE: There is an increasing burden of kidney diseases worldwide and access to specialist care is limited. Telemedicine, has been relatively less used in developing countries like India. The current study aims to assess the feasibility and acceptance of telenephrology services at our institute, a public hospital. METHODS: A total of 150 patients were selected by stratified random sampling from the list of attendees who had undergone both in-person outpatient consultation and telenephrology consultation. Patient's attitude towards, and knowledge and acceptance of telenephrology services were evaluated. RESULTS: The average age of the study cohort was 42.52 ± 15.1 years. More than one-third (39.3%) of our patients belonged to the lower middle socioeconomic class. The median distance traveled to reach our outpatient clinic was 113.5 km (3-2249 km). Patients reported lost workdays in 54.7% cases. The majority (95%) of patients managed to consult through teleservices successfully. Ninety percent of the patients gave a satisfaction score of 4 (out of 5) or above for their tele-consultation experience. The most important perceived benefit of teleconsultation was the reduced risk of infection (40.6%) followed by economic benefits (32%). The major disadvantage (36%) was the absence of physical examination. A combination of physical and telenephrology services was the option preferred by 84% of the patients. CONCLUSION: In developing countries like India, with the majority of the population residing outside major cities and with limited medical access, telenephrology has a huge potential to provide quality nephrology care to the remotest parts of the country.

Vacuum rhexis - A novel capsulorhexis technique for white cataracts.

Capsulorhexis in white intumescent cataract is often associated with extension leading to radial tears or biradial extension "Argentinian flag sign" and associated complications. We describe a novel technique of managing this situation. Vacuum rhexis is performed with a 24 G bent cannula attached to a 10-ml syringe. The flap is lifted and then caught using 24 G cannula. The suction is manually controlled by the surgeon, and the rhexis is completed using circumferential movement. The chamber stability is well maintained as there is no leakage, and the bent tip gives excellent fulcrum for movement. The advantage of this technique is that a single port is used for maintaining the chamber stability and it needs no special surgical instruments. Vacuum rhexis is a novel surgical technique used for performing successful continuous curvilinear capsulorhexis (CCC) of adequate size in white and intumescent cataracts, with a consistent and predictable outcome.

Does Laparoscopic Omentectomy Reduce CAPD Catheter Malfunction: A Three-arm Pilot Randomized Trial.

Introduction: Catheter malfunction secondary to omental wrapping is a frequent complication of continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD). Of the various methods of peritoneal dialysis catheter insertion (PDCI), open surgical insertion under local anesthesia is most widely practiced. Laparoscopic omentectomy is often undertaken as a salvage procedure in case of malfunctioning catheters. However, there is no randomized controlled trial (RCT) to evaluate the role of prophylactic laparoscopic omentectomy on catheter function. This pilot RCT was undertaken to evaluate the impact of laparoscopic omentectomy on the incidence of catheter malfunction. Materials and Methods: Consecutive patients were randomized into three groups: laparoscopic PDCI with omentectomy (Group A), laparoscopic PDCI without omentectomy (Group B) and open surgical PDCI (Group C). The primary outcome was the incidence of catheter malfunction at 6 weeks and 3 months. Results: Forty-one patients completed follow-up, with 16, 11, and 14 patients in Groups A, B, and C, respectively. Incidence of catheter malfunction was 6.2%, 27.3%, and 14.3% in Groups A, B, and C, respectively, at 6 weeks and 6.2%, 36.4%, and 21.4% at 3 months, respectively. In patients with previously failed catheter insertion (n = 23), malfunction at 3 months was 8.3% (1/12) in patients who had omentectomy, compared with 45.5% (5/11) in those who did not (P = 0.069). Operating time was significantly higher (P < 0.001) in Group A. Conclusions: Laparoscopic omentectomy may be associated with a lower incidence of catheter malfunction, especially in patients with previously failed peritoneal dialysis catheter. Data from this pilot RCT can be used to design a large trial with an adequate number of patients.

The International IgA Nephropathy Network Prediction Tool Underestimates Disease Progression in Indian Patients.

Introduction: International IgA nephropathy (IgAN) network (IIgANN) prediction tool was developed to predict risk of progression in IgAN. We attempted to externally validate this tool in an Indian cohort because the original study did not include Indian patients. Methods: Adult patients with primary IgAN were stratified to low, intermediate, higher, and highest risk groups, as per the original model. Primary outcome was reduction in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) by >50% or kidney failure. Both models were evaluated using discrimination: concordance statistics (C-statistics), time-dependent receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, R2d, Kaplan-Meier survival curves between risk groups and calibration plots. Reclassification with net reclassification improvement and integrated discrimination improvement (IDI) was used to compare the 2 models with and without race. Results: A total of 316 patients with median follow-up of 2.8 years had 87 primary outcome events. Both models with and without race showed reasonable discrimination (C-statistics 0.845 for both models, R2d 49.9% and 44.7%, respectively, and well-separated survival curves) but underestimated risk of progression across all risk groups. The calibration slopes were 1.234 (95% CI: 0.973-1.494) and 1.211 (95% CI: 0.954-1.468), respectively. Both models demonstrated poor calibration for predicting risk at 2.8 and 5 years. There was limited improvement in risk reclassification risk at 5 and 2.8 years when comparing model with and without race. Conclusion: IIgANN prediction tool showed reasonable discrimination of risk in Indian patients but underestimated the trajectory of disease progression across all risk groups.

Dialysis Initiation in Patients With Chronic Coronary Disease and Advanced Chronic Kidney Disease in ISCHEMIA-CKD.

Background In participants with concomitant chronic coronary disease and advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD), the effect of treatment strategies on the timing of dialysis initiation is not well characterized. Methods and Results In ISCHEMIA-CKD (International Study of Comparative Health Effectiveness With Medical and Invasive Approaches-Chronic Kidney Disease), 777 participants with advanced CKD and moderate or severe ischemia were randomized to either an initial invasive or conservative management strategy. Herein, we compare the proportion of randomized participants with non-dialysis-requiring CKD at baseline (n=362) who initiated dialysis and compare the time to dialysis initiation between invasive versus conservative management arms. Using multivariable Cox regression analysis, we also sought to identify the effect of invasive versus conservative chronic coronary disease management strategies on dialysis initiation. At a median follow-up of 23 months (25th-75th interquartile range, 14-32 months), dialysis was initiated in 18.9% of participants (36/190) in the invasive strategy and 16.9% of participants (29/172) in the conservative strategy (P=0.22). The median time to dialysis initiation was 6.0 months (interquartile range, 3.0-16.0 months) in the invasive group and 18.2 months (interquartile range, 12.2-25.0 months) in the conservative group (P=0.004), with no difference in procedural acute kidney injury rates between the groups (7.8% versus 5.4%; P=0.26). Baseline clinical factors associated with earlier dialysis initiation were lower baseline estimated glomerular filtration rate (hazard ratio [HR] associated with 5-unit decrease, 2.08 [95% CI, 1.72-2.56]; P<0.001), diabetes (HR, 2.30 [95% CI, 1.28-4.13]; P=0.005), hypertension (HR, 7.97 [95% CI, 1.09-58.21]; P=0.041), and Hispanic ethnicity (HR, 2.34 [95% CI, 1.22-4.47]; P=0.010). Conclusions In participants with non-dialysis-requiring CKD in ISCHEMIA-CKD, randomization to an invasive chronic coronary disease management strategy (relative to a conservative chronic coronary disease management strategy) is associated with an accelerated time to initiation of maintenance dialysis for kidney failure. Registration URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov; Unique identifier: NCT01985360.

Timing of intraoperative crystalloid infusion may decrease total volume of infusate without affecting early graft function in live related renal transplant surgery: A randomized, surgeon-blinded clinical study.

INTRODUCTION: Early graft function is crucial for successful kidney transplantation. Intravascular volume maintenance is paramount in ensuring reperfusion of transplanted kidney. This study was planned to compare whether the timing of fluid infusion can help to decrease amount of fluid given without altering early graft function during renal transplantation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The present study included forty recipients, randomized into standard (Group-S) or targeted fluid therapy (Group-T). Group S received fluid according to conventional fasting deficit while Group T received at 1 ml/kg/h from the start of surgery till start of vascular anastomosis after which fluid infusion rate in both group was increased to maintain a central venous pressure of 13-15 mm of Hg till reperfusion. Primary outcome measured was serum creatinine level on first postoperative day while secondary outcomes were IV fluid given, perioperative hemodynamics, onset of diuresis, graft turgidity, urine output, and renal function during first 6 postoperative days. RESULTS: The study showed Group T postoperatively had early fall in serum creatinine (day 3) than S (day 6) although this difference was not statistically significant. Group T had received significantly less fluid per kg of dry weight (T-42.7 ± 9.7 ml/kg, S-61.1 ± 11.1 ml/kg, P < 0.001), had early diuresis, better graft turgidity and urine output than Group S. CONCLUSION: Targeted hydration significantly decreases the total amount of fluid infused during the intraoperative period without altering early graft function. Targeted hydration during vascular anastomosis produced stable hemodynamics and early diuresis without any side-effects pertaining to hypo or hyper-volemia.Clinical trial identifier number-CTRI/2016/07/007111.

Metabolic acidosis in the initial 6 months after renal transplantation: A prospective study.

BACKGROUND: There is limited information about the incidence of metabolic acidosis (MA) after renal transplantation. This single centre prospective study aimed to delineate the incidence and risk factors of MA in the first 6 months after renal transplantation (RTX). DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS AND MEASUREMENTS: Patients who underwent RTX between November 2018 and July 2020 were monitored with weekly measurement of serum bicarbonate level for 6 months and those who were diagnosed with MA were evaluated further to characterize the type of MA. RESULTS: One hundred and twenty-five patients were included in the study, 89 (71.2%) of whom developed MA. Seventy-two patients developed MA in the first month, 11 during the 2-3 months and 6 between 4 and 6 months after transplantation. Of the 89 patients, 55(61.8%) had type 1 renal tubular acidosis (T1RTA), 27 (30.3%) had type 2 RTA (T2RTA) and 7 (7.9%) type 4 RTA (T4RTA). Two patient who had T1RTA, subsequently developed high anion gap MA following severe graft rejection. On stepwise multivariate regression analysis, serum creatinine at time of diagnosis of MA [OR (95% CI): 12.02 (1.79 to 80.59), p = .01] and high tacrolimus C0 levels [OR (95% CI): 2.43 (1.0 to 5.90), p = .049], were independent risk factors for MA. CONCLUSION: There is a high incidence of MA in the initial 6 months post-transplant with serum creatinine and high tacrolimus C0 levels being independent risk factors.

Impact of clinical parameters and vascular haemodynamics on arterio-venous fistula maturation in patients with end stage renal disease: A prospective study on Indian patients.

BACKGROUND: About 18%-65% of Arterio-Venous fistula (AVF) made to facilitate haemodialysis in end stage renal disease patient fail to mature. This study was designed to evaluate the impact of clinical parameters and vascular haemodynamics on maturation of AVF on Indian patients. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This was a prospective observational study. Eligible patients' clinical profiles and vascular haemodynamics by Doppler ultrasonography were noted. All patients underwent radio-cephalic AVF on the non-dominant arm under local anaesthesia. Clinical definition was used to assess success rate of AVFs which is defined as successful six settings of satisfactory dialysis. Data were analysed using Stata/12.0 software. Independent t-test, chi-square test, logistic regression analysis and multivariate analysis were used. The p-value of <0.05 was considered significant. RESULTS: A total of 205 patients were enrolled and analysed. Among clinical factors, age, sex, serum creatinine, hypertension had no significant association with failure (p = 0.5, 0.08, 0.76 and 0.74). Patient's BMI and presence of diabetes had significant impact on outcome (p < 0.001 and 0.02 respectively). Among vascular haemodynamics, radial vein diameter of >2.5 mm and radial artery flow rate >40 ml/min had no significant association with failure (p = 0.12 and 0.28). Diameter of radial artery (>2 mm) and intra-operatively immediate thrill were independent predictor of success (p = 0.002 and <0.001). CONCLUSION: In the present study rate of fistula, maturation was 73.2% without any post-operative radiological intervention. Radial artery diameter >2 mm and presence of immediate thrill post-operatively were significantly associated with successful cannulation.

Characterizing predictors of non-diabetic kidney disease (NDKD) in diabetic patients.

BACKGROUND: Diabetic kidney disease (DKD) is the chief cause of renal involvement in diabetic patients. It is primarily a clinical diagnosis. Non-diabetic kidney disease (NDKD) may be missed if they are not biopsied. In this study, we describe the spectrum of NDKD and evaluate the predictors considered for planning a biopsy in diabetic patients with kidney disease. METHODS: In a retrospective cohort study, diabetic patients who underwent kidney biopsy at our centre between May 2006 and July 2019 were evaluated for NDKD. RESULTS: 321 diabetic patients who underwent kidney biopsy were analyzed. Mean age was 49.3 ± 12.4 years and 71% were males. 75.8% patients had hypertension and 25.2% had diabetic retinopathy. Based on the kidney biopsy, patients were classified as DKD-127 (39.6%), NDKD-179(55.8%) and combined DKD + NDKD-15(4.7%). Overall, the most commonly diagnosed pathology was membranous nephropathy-MN (17%), followed by IgA nephropathy (16.0%) and focal segmental glomerulosclerosis-FSGS (14.9%). In patients with DKD + NDKD, IgA nephropathy (53.3%) was predominant. 165 (51.4%) patients had a diagnosis potentially amenable to a specific therapy. On multivariate analysis, female gender [OR 2.07 (1.08-3.97), p = 0.02], absence of diabetic retinopathy [OR 7.47 (3.71-15), p < 0.001] absence of hypertension [OR 3.17 (1.56-6.45), p = 0.001] and duration of diabetes ≤ 24 months [OR 3.67(1.97-6.84), p < 0.001], were independent predictors for NDKD while the absence of nephrotic range proteinuria [OR 1.73 (0.98-3.05), p 0.05] showed a trend towards significance. CONCLUSION: Astute use of kidney biopsy can detect potentially treatable NDKD in a large number of diabetic patients with glomerular diseases being the predominant diagnosis. A combination of risk factors needs to be considered to guide the need for kidney biopsy in diabetic patients.

Continuous Ambulatory Peritoneal Dialysis Peritonitis Guidelines - Consensus Statement of Peritoneal Dialysis Society of India - 2020.

Continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) related peritonitis is a major cause of technique failure, morbidity, and mortality in patients on CAPD. Its prevention and management is key to success of CAPD program. Due to variability in practice, microbiological trends and sensitivity towards antibiotics, there is a need for customized guidelines for management of CAPD related peritonitis (CAPDRP) in India. With this need, Peritoneal Dialysis Society of India (PDSI) organized a structured meeting to discuss various aspects of management of CAPDRP and formulated a consensus agreement which will help in management of patients with CAPDRP.

Outcomes of Participants With Diabetes in the ISCHEMIA Trials.

BACKGROUND: Among patients with diabetes and chronic coronary disease, it is unclear if invasive management improves outcomes when added to medical therapy. METHODS: The ISCHEMIA (International Study of Comparative Health Effectiveness with Medical and Invasive Approaches) trials (ie, ISCHEMIA and ISCHEMIA-Chronic Kidney Disease) randomized chronic coronary disease patients to an invasive (medical therapy + angiography and revascularization if feasible) or a conservative approach (medical therapy alone with revascularization if medical therapy failed). Cohorts were combined after no trial-specific effects were observed. Diabetes was defined by history, hemoglobin A1c ≥6.5%, or use of glucose-lowering medication. The primary outcome was all-cause death or myocardial infarction (MI). Heterogeneity of effect of invasive management on death or MI was evaluated using a Bayesian approach to protect against random high or low estimates of treatment effect for patients with versus without diabetes and for diabetes subgroups of clinical (female sex and insulin use) and anatomic features (coronary artery disease severity or left ventricular function). RESULTS: Of 5900 participants with complete baseline data, the median age was 64 years (interquartile range, 57-70), 24% were female, and the median estimated glomerular filtration was 80 mL·min-1·1.73-2 (interquartile range, 64-95). Among the 2553 (43%) of participants with diabetes, the median percent hemoglobin A1c was 7% (interquartile range, 7-8), and 30% were insulin-treated. Participants with diabetes had a 49% increased hazard of death or MI (hazard ratio, 1.49 [95% CI, 1.31-1.70]; P<0.001). At median 3.1-year follow-up the adjusted event-free survival was 0.54 (95% bootstrapped CI, 0.48-0.60) and 0.66 (95% bootstrapped CI, 0.61-0.71) for patients with diabetes versus without diabetes, respectively, with a 12% (95% bootstrapped CI, 4%-20%) absolute decrease in event-free survival among participants with diabetes. Female and male patients with insulin-treated diabetes had an adjusted event-free survival of 0.52 (95% bootstrapped CI, 0.42-0.56) and 0.49 (95% bootstrapped CI, 0.42-0.56), respectively. There was no difference in death or MI between strategies for patients with diabetes versus without diabetes, or for clinical (female sex or insulin use) or anatomic features (coronary artery disease severity or left ventricular function) of patients with diabetes. CONCLUSIONS: Despite higher risk for death or MI, chronic coronary disease patients with diabetes did not derive incremental benefit from routine invasive management compared with initial medical therapy alone. Registration: URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov; Unique identifier: NCT01471522.

Peritoneal Dialysis Patients During COVID 19 Pandemic.

COVID pandemic poses challenges to peritoneal dialysis patients, caretaker, and service provider to the PD patients as well. The chronic peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients are trained to do the PD procedure at home, therefore can avoid in-center hospital visit unlike patients on hemodialysis. Thus, PD patients can avoid undue exposure to the novel coronavirus. The PD can be offered in COVID induced AKI patients, even in remote places where hemodialysis cannot be offered. The paper is aimed to provide guidelines about the safe use of PD and treatment of complications during the COVID pandemic.

Spectrum of biopsy-proven renal disease in northern India: A single-centre study.

AIM: Pattern of kidney diseases varies across geographies due to multiple factors. There is a paucity of information from South Asia due to the absence of nationwide/regional biopsy registries. This study aimed to delineate the spectrum of renal parenchymal diseases in our region. METHODS: Records of kidney biopsies done in our nephrology department between 2006 and 2016 were analysed. Clinico-pathological correlation was done from the available records. RESULTS: Of the 3275 biopsy evaluated, 61.9% were males, and mean age was 33.2 ± 14.2 years. 6.2% patients were elderly (age ≥ 60 years). Nephrotic syndrome (60.3%) was the commonest indication for biopsy. On histology, 73.0% patients had primary glomerulonephritis (GN), 15.5% secondary GN, 5.3% tubulo-interstitial and 3.7% vascular disease. Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) was the commonest primary GN accounting for 18.2% of all GNs, followed by minimal change disease (16.8%), membranous nephropathy (MN) (16.0%) and IgA nephropathy (10.4%). Lupus nephritis (10.6%) and amyloidosis (3.7%) were the commonest secondary GN. The commonest cause of nephrotic syndrome was minimal change disease (22.9%), acute nephritic syndrome was lupus nephritis (30.6%), rapidly progressive renal failure was pauci-immune crescentic GN (24.5%). IgA nephropathy was the commonest etiology of asymptomatic urinary abnormalities (26.3%) and gross haematuria (50%). About 60.9% patients of undetermined chronic kidney disease had glomerular diseases, and 13.6% had chronic tubulointerstitial nephritis. Lupus nephritis and acute cortical necrosis were significantly more common in females compared with males. CONCLUSION: This is one of the largest cohorts of kidney biopsies from India, and it delineates the unique features and differences in the pattern of kidney disease in our population.

To Study the Impact of Donor Nephrectomy on Blood Pressure as Measured by Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring and Renal Function.

Prospective living kidney donors need meticulous evaluation prior to kidney donation. Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) is considered the reference standard for diagnosing hypertension. With no prior study available in India in this context, we undertook this study to evaluate the utility of ABPM in kidney donors and effect of donor nephrectomy on renal function. This was a prospective observational study involving healthy prospective kidney donors between 18 and 70 years with normal office blood pressure measurements (OBPM). Detailed clinical and biochemical parameters were recorded. OBPM and 24-hour ABPM was done preoperatively and 3 months following donor nephrectomy. There were 51 donors with a mean age of 46.1 ± 11.3 years, of which 40 (78.4%) were females. Preoperatively, three (5.8%) donors were hypertensive on ABPM but normal on OBPM (P = 0.08). Three months post nephrectomy, hypertension was present in seven (13.7%) donors by ABPM, while only two (3.9%) donors were diagnosed as hypertensive by OBPM (P = 0.02). Median pre-nephrectomy proteinuria was 70 mg (10 mg-180 mg) with a mean estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) using the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD) formula of 86.86 ± 19.1 ml/min. Six donors developed >300 mg/day proteinuria, and 17 (33.3%) had a 24-hour urinary protein excretion greater than 150 mg/day. Mean serum creatinine (0.79 ± 0.11 vs 1.03 ± 0.16 mg/dl) significantly increased post donation, more so in donors >55 years of age (1.14 ± 0.25 mg/dl). Our study shows that in transplant donors, ABPM is better for diagnosing hypertension, which otherwise remains masked in 10% of the donors on routine OBPM. Significance of post-nephrectomy hypertension and increasing proteinuria needs further evaluation.