"Out of Sight, Out of Mind": The Failed Renal Allograft as a Cause of ESA Resistance.

Approximately 10% of patients treated with erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs) for the anemia of chronic kidney disease are unresponsive or relatively resistant to therapy. The etiology of this is usually linked to iron deficiency or an independent underlying illness. We describe a hemodialysis patient with a failed renal transplant 1.5 years earlier, who developed progressive erythropoietin resistance and anemia without an apparent cause. He simultaneously developed nonspecific malaise and fatigue. By exclusion, the only possible cause of these signs and symptoms was inflammation from acute and chronic rejection in the retained failed renal allograft. Following pulse steroids and transplant nephrectomy, the patient's symptoms resolved and both his hemoglobin improved and his erythropoietin requirements decreased significantly. The patient never required a blood transfusion and was successfully relisted for a deceased donor renal transplant. Hence, inflammation from a retained transplant allograft may be an under-recognized cause of erythropoietin resistance in dialysis patients. Although transplant nephrectomy remains a controversial practice due to concerns of alloantibody production, it may be considered in patients with failed renal allografts and anemia refractory to treatment with ESAs.

Identification of urologic complications after kidney transplant.

Urologic complications after kidney transplant are important causes of morbidity, hospitalization, and transplant loss. We report 2 cases of clinically unsuspected urine extravasation after kidney transplant that were diagnosed accurately using SPECT/CT (single-photon emission computed tomography/computed tomography) radionuclide renal scan and corrected using surgery. These cases emphasize the value of dynamic radionuclide renal scan using SPECT/CT in the detection of urologic complications.

The first decade of a laparoscopic donor nephrectomy program: effect of surgeon and institution experience with 512 cases from 1996 to 2006.

BACKGROUND: Although the procedure is generally safe, significant morbidity and even mortality have occurred after laparoscopic donor nephrectomy (LDN). The learning curves for both surgeons and institutions with LDN have not been well delineated, and longterm donor data are not well reported. STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective study of the initial 512 patients undergoing LDN performed at Mount Sinai Medical Center between October 1996 and March 2006 was performed. Intraoperative and immediate postoperative surgical outcomes were reviewed. Univariate analysis and multivariate logistic regressions were performed to identify predictors of outcomes, including the experience level of individual surgeons and of the institution. Longitudinal followup data of donor patients between 1 month and 9 years were obtained. RESULTS: Mean donor age was 39.2 years, and 54.6% of patients were women. Left kidneys were procured in 84.0%. Operative time averaged 215.2 minutes, and warm ischemia time, 166.6 seconds. The conversion rate was 1.4%, and hand-assistance was used in 49.9%. The intraoperative complication rate was 5.5%, 30-day complication rate 9.4%, and 1.4% of patients required reoperation. Immediate graft survival was 97.1%, acute tubular necrosis occurred in 8.5%, and delayed graft function in 3.7%. At a mean followup of 37.2 months, delayed donor complications were infrequent, but included chronic pain, hypertension, incisional hernia, and small bowel obstruction. Although individual surgeons and our institution gained experience, operative and warm ischemia times decreased significantly, but complication rates were unchanged. CONCLUSIONS: Although a learning curve was discovered for operative time and warm ischemia time, excellent results can be achieved during the early experience of both surgeons and institutions with LDN, and maintained over time. Younger, female, and nonobese donors were associated with fewer complications. Longterm donor morbidity is uncommon, but mandates better followup.

Laparoscopic donor nephrectomy: intraoperative safety, immediate morbidity, and delayed complications with 500 cases.

BACKGROUND: Several large series of laparoscopic donor nephrectomy (LDN) have been published, largely focusing on immediate results and short-term complications. The aim of this study was to examine the results of LDN and collect medium-term and long-term donor followup. METHODS: We examined the results of two surgeons who performed 500 consecutive LDNs from 1996 to 2005. Prospective databases were reviewed for both donors and recipients to record demographics, medical history, intraoperative events, and complications. Patients were followed between 1 month and 9 years after surgery to assess for delayed complications, especially hypertension, renal insufficiency, incisional hernia, bowel obstruction, and chronic pain. RESULTS: Left kidneys were procured in 86.2% of cases. Mean operative time was 3.5 h, and warm ischemia time averaged 3.4 min. Hand-assistance was used in 13.8%, and conversion rate was 1.8%. Intraoperative complication rate was 5.8% and was predominantly bleeding (93.1%). Most (86.2%) of the operative complications occurred during the initial 150 cases of a surgeon, compared with 10.3% in the subsequent 150 cases (p = 0.003). Operative time decreased by 87 min after the initial 150 cases (p < 0.001). Immediate graft survival was 97.5%. Delayed graft function occurred in 3.0% of recipients, and acute tubular necrosis occurred in 7.0%. Thirty-day donor complication rate was 9.8%. Mean donor creatinine was 1.24 on the first postoperative day, 1.27 at 2 weeks, and 1.24 at 1 year. At a mean followup of 32.8 months, long-term donor complications consisted of 11 cases of hypertension, 9 cases of prolonged pain or paresthesia, 2 incisional hernias, 1 small bowel obstruction requiring laparoscopic lysis of adhesions, and 1 hydrocele requiring repair. CONCLUSIONS: LDN can be performed with acceptable immediate morbidity and excellent graft function. Operative time and complications decreased significantly after a surgeon performed 150 cases. Long-term complications were uncommon but included a likely underestimated incidence of hypertension.

Pre-donation assessment of kidneys by magnetic resonance angiography and venography: accuracy and impact on outcomes.

Reports on the accuracy of magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) and magnetic resonance venography (MRV) in evaluating living donor renovasculature employ few patients or omit the consequences of inaccurate scans. We retrospectively compared intraoperative findings to MRA/MRV scans in 146 donor-recipient pairs. For detecting accessory arteries and early branching, MRA sensitivity was 57.6%, specificity 96.5%, false positive rate 3.5%, false negative rate 42.4%, positive predictive value 82.6%, negative predictive value 88.6% and overall accuracy 87.7%. By excluding clinically inconsequential accessory arteries, MRA sensitivity rose to 73.1%, specificity to 96.7% and overall accuracy to 92.5%. For MRVs, sensitivity was 56.2%, specificity 99%, false positive rate 1%, false negative rate 43.8%, positive predictive value 90%, negative predictive value 94.8% and accuracy 94.5%. Inaccurate scans were associated with prolonged donor and recipient operations and more frequently reconstructed arteries, but did not affect clinical outcomes. Because most missed accessory arteries are inconsequential, MRA is a useful, less invasive method for defining donor renovascular anatomy.