[Combined liver-kidney and kidney after liver transplantation: indications and experiences from a nephrological perspective at a single center]. / Die kombinierte und sequentielle Leber-Nieren-Transplantation: Indikationen und Zentrumserfahrungen aus Sicht des Nephrologen.

ABSTRACT

Combined liver-kidney transplantations (CLKT) and kidney after liver transplantations (KALT) are established treatments for patients with end-stage hepatic and renal disease and the number of transplantations has continuously increased over the past few years. The most frequent indications for CLKT in adults are polycystic kidney disease with severe liver involvement and liver cirrhosis of different origins with concomitant chronic kidney failure due to chronic glomerulonephritis or diabetic nephropathy. In children, CLKT is most frequently required due to primary oxalosis type I. At present the main indication for KALT still is calcineurin inhibitor-induced chronic nephrotoxicity, emphasizing the need for a nephron-sparing long-term immunosuppression in liver transplant recipients. Compared to KALT, the indications for CLKT are not as well defined and the decision must therefore be made on a case-by-case basis by a multidisciplinary team of experienced clinicians to avoid unnecessary transplantations of both organs in patients with reversible kidney failure, given the scarcity of organs for transplantation worldwide. In hepatorenal syndrome CLKT should only be considered if the GFR is lower than 20 ml/min for more than three months or if the patient has been on renal replacement treatment for more than one month. In CLKT, there appears to be a certain immunological protection for the kidney transplant by the liver transplant.