Acute Graft Dysfunction Research Articles

Cytomegalovirus associated superficial venous thrombosis in a renal allograft recipient

Patient M, a 54 year old gentleman, had undergone live emotionally related renal allograft transplantation in 2004. He presented with history of swelling over both his lower limbs associated with redness and pain of 10 days duration. There was associated low-grade fever, recurrent loose stools of 10 days duration. He was found to have anemia (Hb: 10.2 mg/dL), leucocytosis (TLC: 14,200), acute graft dysfunction (Serum creatinine: 5.24 mg/dL). Venous Doppler of the lower limbs revealed thrombosis of the superficial venous system (great saphenous vein) bilaterally. His serum CMV-PCR revealed significant viral load (10,400 copies/mL). Colonoscopic biopsy revealed CMV DNA positivity on immunohistochemistry. He was managed with anticoagulation (low molecular weight heparin for 3 weeks adjusted to the renal dysfunction), antibiotics and intravenous ganciclovir (for 2 weeks). Thereafter, he recieved oral valganciclovir for another 10 weeks. Swelling in the lower limb and pain reduced after 3 weeks and serum CMV-PCR revealed undetectable viral copies after 4 weeks of therapy. Repeat venous doppler for venous thrombosis after 4 weeks revealed recanalised superficial venous system. We attribute the present episode of superficial vein lower limb thrombosis involving both his lower limbs to cytomegalovirus.

Fever, Haematuria, and Acute Graft Dysfunction in Renal Transplant Recipients Secondary to Adenovirus Infection: Two Case Reports

We report two cases of adenoviral infection in kidney transplant recipients that presented with different clinical characteristics under similar demographic and posttransplant conditions. The first case presented with fever, gross haematuria, and acute graft dysfunction 15 days following renal transplantation. A graft biopsy, analyzed with immunohistochemistry, yielded negative results. However, the diagnosis was confirmed with blood and urine real-time PCR for adenovirus 3 days after the initial clinical manifestations. The immunosuppression dose was reduced, and ribavirin treatment was started, for which the patient quickly developed toxicity. Antiviral treatment allowed for transient response; however, a relapse occurred. The viral real-time PCR became negative upon immunosuppression reduction and administration of IVIG; graft function normalized. In the second case, the patient presented with fever and dysuria 1 month after transplantation. The initial imaging studies revealed graft enlargement and areas of hypoperfusion. In this case, the diagnosis was also confirmed with blood and urine real-time PCR for adenovirus 3 days after the initial clinical manifestations. Adenoviral nephritis was confirmed through a graft biopsy analyzed with light microscopy, immunohistochemistry, and PCR in frozen tissue. The immunosuppression dose was reduced, and IVIG was administered obtaining excellent clinical results along with a negative real-time PCR.

Allograft biopsy in kidney transplant recipients in the medical city of Baghdad

To determine the safety and efficacy of the practice of renal allograft biopsy and verify its impact on the management of kidney transplant patients presenting with graft dysfunction, we studied 50 renal allograft biopsies of 47 adult patients (38% males, mean age 32.4 ± 11 years) performed in the medical city complex from November 2008 to April 2011. All the biopsies were performed with a guidance of ultrasound. The procedure, complications, histological diagnoses and impact of the biopsy data on patients' management were recorded. Thirty percent of the biopsies were performed in the first 12 months post-transplantation and 24% were performed after the 60 th month. Adequate biopsy was achieved in 76% of the patients, with a 96% safety rate. Acute rejection was diagnosed in 38% of the biopsies and chronic allograft nephropathy in 38%, and they were the most common histological patterns in the study. The results of allograft biopsies positively impacted the management strategy in all study groups. Renal allograft biopsy was a useful and a relatively safe tool for the diagnosis of acute and chronic graft dysfunction in our experience.

Primer on Renal Transplantation

Renal transplantation transforms chronically ill children with end stage renal disease (ESRD) into near normal resulting in improvement in nutrition, growth, neurodevelopment and quality of life, and is the goal of therapy. However, the benefits of transplantation come at a price of life-long treatment with immunosuppressive medications, increased risk of infections and malignancy. Children younger than 10 y of age have the best, and adolescents have the worst 5-y graft survival likely due to non-adherence with medications in the adolescents. Long-term complications include ongoing issues related to chronic kidney disease (CKD) and cardiovascular morbidity and mortality contributing to graft loss and shortened life expectancy, thus limiting the success of organ transplantation. Therefore, appropriate management of CKD and cardiovascular issues should be integral to the care of pediatric transplant patients. The other ongoing challenges include organ shortage, prevention and treatment of late acute rejections and chronic graft dysfunction, discovering reliable noninvasive immune monitoring tools, improving adherence, psychosocial rehabilitation, and the elusive goal of tolerance.

Derivation and Validation of a Cytokine-Based Assay to Screen for Acute Rejection in Renal Transplant Recipients

Acute rejection remains a problem in renal transplantation. This study sought to determine the utility of a noninvasive cytokine assay in screening of acute rejection. In this observational cross-sectional study, 64 patients from two centers were recruited upon admission for allograft biopsy to investigate acute graft dysfunction. Blood was collected before biopsy and assayed for a panel of 21 cytokines secreted by PBMCs. Patients were classified as acute rejectors or nonrejectors according to a classification rule derived from an initial set of 32 patients (training cohort) and subsequently validated in the remaining patients (validation cohort). Although six cytokines (IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α, IL-4, GM-CSF, and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1) distinguished acute rejectors in the training cohort, logistic regression modeling identified a single cytokine, IL-6, as the best predictor. In the validation cohort, IL-6 was consistently the most accurate cytokine (area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve, 0.85; P=0.006), whereas the application of a prespecified cutoff level, as determined from the training cohort, resulted in a sensitivity and specificity of 92% and 63%, respectively. Secondary analyses revealed a strong association between IL-6 levels and acute rejection after multivariate adjustment for clinical characteristics (P<0.001). In this pilot study, the measurement of a single cytokine can exclude acute rejection with a sensitivity of 92% in renal transplant recipients presenting with acute graft dysfunction. Prospective studies are needed to determine the utility of this simple assay, particularly for low-risk or remote patients.

Multi-detector CT/CT angiogram assessment of acute pancreatic graft dysfunction

Simultaneous pancreatic-kidney transplantation is the definitive treatment for patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus and renal failure. Pancreatic graft failure is an important postoperative complication and most commonly occurs as a result of pancreatitis, graft thrombosis or rejection. Distinguishing between these causes is necessary to determine timely, appropriate management and thereby potentially minimising graft loss. Multi-detector CT imaging may be used to identify the cause of pancreatic graft dysfunction when renal function is not markedly impaired.

Evaluation of live-donor kidney transplant survival in low body weight Egyptian children: 25 year-experience

Identification of problems associated with kidney transplantation in small weight children is an essential step toward improving graft function and patient survival. This study comprised 63 renal transplant children weighing 25 kg or less at time of renal transplantation. All children have received living-donor renal allotransplant between December 1984 and March 2009. These children were retrospectively evaluated regarding their survival, grafts survival as well as associated risk factors. Our patient and graft survival rates at 1, 5 and 10 years were (98.4%, 96.8%, and 96.8%) and (94.9%, 82.6%, and 58.4%), respectively. Significant better graft survival was obtained in cases with non-glomerular etiology of the end-stage renal disease, pre-emptive transplantation and when the aorta was used for arterial vascular anastomosis. Significant worse graft survival was documented among those who experienced pre-transplant hypertension, pre-transplant blood transfusion, post-transplant acute rejection, chronic rejection, hypertension and graft obstruction. The outcome of live donor renal transplantation in children weighing 15–25 kg in our locality as a developing country is comparable to other reports. Better graft survival rates might be obtained by adopting pre-emptive transplant policy, avoiding pre-transplant blood transfusions, using aorta for arterial vascular anastomosis in addition to adopting recent tacrolimus-based immunosuppressive regimens that is associated with reduced incidence of post-transplant acute rejection and graft dysfunction. La identificación de los problemas asociados con el trasplante de riñón en niños de bajo peso corporal es un paso esencial para mejorar la función del injerto y la supervivencia de los pacientes. El presente estudio incluyó a 63 pacientes sometidos a un trasplante de riñón cuyo peso era ≤25 kg en el momento del trasplante renal. Todos habían recibido un alotrasplante renal de donante vivo entre diciembre de 1984 y marzo de 2009. Estos niños se valoraron retrospectivamente con respecto a la supervivencia, supervivencia del injerto, al igual que factores de riesgo asociados. Las tasas de supervivencia de nuestros pacientes y del injerto a los 1, 5 y 10 años fueron del 98,4%, 96,8% y 96,8%, y del 94,9%, 82,6% y 58,4%, respectivamente. Se obtuvo una supervivencia del injerto significativamente mayor en los casos sin etiología glomerular de la nefropatía terminal, trasplante preferente y cuando se usó la aorta para la anastomosis vascular arterial. Entre los niños que experimentaban hipertensión pretrasplante, se sometieron a transfusión de sangre pretrasplante, experimentaron rechazo agudo postrasplante, rechazo crónico, hipertensión y obstrucción del injerto, se documentó una supervivencia del injerto significativamente más breve. El desenlace del trasplante renal de donante vivo en niños cuyo peso corporal es de 15–25 kg en nuestro centro en un país en vías de desarrollo es comparable al descrito en otras publicaciones. Además de adoptar las pautas inmunosupresoras recientes basadas en tacrólimo, que se asocian con una disminución de la incidencia de rechazo agudo postrasplante y disfunción del injerto, pueden obtenerse mayores tasas de supervivencia del injerto adoptando una política de trasplante preferente, evitando las transfusiones de sangre pretrasplante, utilizando la aorta para la anastomosis vascular arterial.

Usefulness of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation for early cardiac allograft dysfunction

Owing to persisting donor shortages, the use of "marginal hearts" has increased. Because patients who receive a marginal heart may require hemodynamic support in the early post-operative period, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) may be used until recovery of acute graft dysfunction. A retrospective file review of 124 primary adult heart transplant patients from 2003 to 2008 was conducted. We compared 17 patients who received post-transplant ECMO support with 107 transplant recipients without ECMO. Donor and recipient pre-transplant, intra-operative, and post-transplant clinical variables to 6 months after transplant were compared. Pre-operative demographics of the 2 groups were similar. Eight (47%) of the patients in the ECMO group received marginal donor hearts, compared with 1 (1%) in the non-ECMO group (p < 0.05). There were 3 early deaths in the ECMO group (2 of whom had received optimal donor hearts), resulting in lower Day 30 ECMO survival of 82.4% vs 100% for non-ECMO, respectively (p < 0.001), and 6-month survival of 82.4% vs 95.6%, respectively (p < 0.02). Most of the difference in survival was in patients who required salvage ECMO despite normal pre-transplant donor LV function. The rate of early dialysis was higher in the ECMO group, at 18% vs 6% at Day 3, but there was no difference between the 2 groups by Day 7. Pre-discharge ventricular function was normal in all discharged ECMO patients and all but 1 non-ECMO patient. ECMO patients had a longer intensive care unit stay (8.9 ± 3.4 vs 4.8 ± 5.4 days, p < 0.005), but there was a slightly shorter ward stay, resulting in a similar overall hospitalization length of stay (22.9 ± 8.3 vs 25.1 ± 25.2 days). ECMO allows for salvage of acute graft dysfunction and may allow use of marginal donor hearts. Survival rates are lower in patients who require ECMO compared with optimal donors, but early cardiac dysfunction normalizes in most without long-term cardiac or renal sequelae. Despite longer ventilation times, overall hospitalization is not prolonged.

A case of shoulder pain post-renal transplant: an unusual etiology

A 37-year-old renal allograft recipient presented in the outpatient department with complaint of left shoulder pain 3 months after renal transplant. His immunosuppression included cyclosporine 6 mg/kg/day, mycophenolate 500 mg twice daily and prednisolone 10 mg/day. He was treated for hepatitis C infection pretransplant with interferon. Posttransplant management was complicated by an episode of acute graft dysfunction. Kidney biopsy was suggestive of acute tubulointerstitial nephritis with borderline acute cellular rejection, which was treated with three doses of methylprednisolone 500 mg each. This episode recovered only partially and serum creatinine stabilized at 2.5–3 mg/dL. In the second month after transplant, he developed cytomegalovirus infection, which was treated with intravenous ganciclovir. Shoulder pain was dull aching, poorly localized around the shoulder and was progressively increasing in intensity requiring opioids for control. On examination, he had stable vitals and a physical examination showed an unrestricted range of motion at the shoulder and mild tenderness at the anterior region of the shoulder joint. Complete blood count and tranaminases were within normal limits. Erythrocyte sedimentation rate and C reactive protein were increased to 36 mm and 18 ng/L respectively. An X-ray of the left shoulder showed a lytic lesion in the upper end of the humerus (Figure 1). An MRI of the shoulder raised a possibility of infective or infiltrative lesion in the upper end of the humerus (Figure 2). Excision biopsy of the lesion was done, which established the diagnosis of Aspergillus osteomyelitis (Figures 3 and ​and4).4). The patient was treated with oral voriconazole 200 mg BD for 8 weeks with complete resolution of symptoms. Fig. 1. Frontal radiograph of left shoulder showing a lytic lesion involving head and proximal shaft of humerus (arrow) with narrow zone of transition. There is associated soft tissue swelling. Fig. 2. Saggital STIR images of the left shoulder show abnormal T2 hyperintense signal abnormality involving proximal humeral marrow (long arrow) with adjacent abscess formation (short arrow). Normal saggital STIR images of the left shoulder (right). Fig. 3. Photomicrograph shows large, thick-walled septate hyphae with acute angle branching along with few inflammatory cells (hematoxylin and eosin stain ×40). Fig. 4. Photomicrograph showing large, thick-walled septate hyphae with acute angle branching against RBC background (Gomori Methenamine-silver Stain ×10). Inset showing the same at ×40.

Akutes Transplantatnierenversagen - Prärenale, intrarenale und postrenale Ursachen

After renal transplantation, the main causes of kidney allograft dysfunction can be classified by time after transplantation and by the affected region of renal anatomy. Prerenal acute graft dysfunction induced by infection and hypovolemia is frequent. In particular, after kidney transplantation cytokine-release-syndrome caused by induction agents as well as vascular or anastomotic problems (from donor or recipient) play an important role. The main causes of intrarenal renal failure after transplantation are the different forms of acute rejection, calcineurin inhibitor nephrotoxicity and the acute interstitial nephritis. Lymphocele and ureteral obstruction often cause postrenal renal graft failure. Clinical symptoms and signs of failure must be carefully monitored. Ultrasound is the main component of diagnostic tools in all causes of dysfunction.

Urine immune profiling by measurement of multiple cytokine/chemokine mRNA levels in renal allograft dysfunction

Background: An accurate diagnosis of cause of acute renal graft dysfunction is crucial for the optimal management of transplant recipients. Currently available tests are either insensitive or nonspecific, or are invasive, such as allograft biopsy. During last decade, attempts have been made in search of non invasive markers for the evaluation of cause of graft dysfunction. We studied a set of genes expressed on cytotoxic T Lymphocytes and those related to functioning of regulatory or helper T cells. Methods: We obtained 108 urine samples from 108 renal allograft recipients at the time of graft biopsy done for the evaluation of cause of graft dysfunction. RNA was extracted from urinary cells and messenger RNA (mRNA) encoding perforin, granzyme B (GB), FoxP3, CD3?, CXCR3, TGF-?, CTLA4, PI-9, IL-10, TNF?, T-bet and 18SrRNA measured with the use of quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The levels of expression of genes were correlated with the biopsy findings and the results compared among different groups. Renal allograft biopsies at this institution are performed when there is unexplained rise in serum creatinine of >20% from the baseline value and reported according to Banff classification. SPSS v10.0 used for analy-sis.Results: The mRNA copy numbers of GB, Perforin, FoxP3, CD3, CXCR3, TGF-?, CTL A4, PI9, IL-10, TNF?, and T-bet were log transformed and mean (± SD) levels studied. The expression of all studied genes were compared between ‘nonspecific biopsy findings’ and other specific diagnoses. GB, Perforin, FoxP3, TGF-?, CD3?, CTLA4 CXCR3 and T-bet were higher in acute cellular rejection (ACR), whereas, TGF-? was also found higher in infection, and PI-9 in chronic allograft nephropathy (CAN) and borderline rejection group. Conclusion: Measurement of mRNA levels for genes like GB, Perforin, FoxP3, TGF-β, CD3?, CTLA4, CXCR3 and T-bet in urine samples offers a non invasive means of diag-nosing cause of graft dysfunction.

Procalcitonin in the Setting of Complicated Postoperative Course after Liver Transplantation

Background Orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) is a treatment for end-stage liver disease. The shortage of available organs leads to the acceptance of marginal grafts, thereby increasing the risk of perioperative complications such as acute rejection, infection, and graft dysfunction Procalcitonin (PCT) has been shown to be a reliable marker for a complicated course after traumamatic injury as well as in the courses of systemic inflammatory response syndrome and sepsis. The aim of our study was to evaluate PCT as an early prognostic marker for the occurrence of complication during the postoperative course after OLT. Method We analyzed PCT levels and clinical and paraclinical data of 32 patients who underwent 33 OLTs. The highest PCT was termed as peak-PCT. Patients were stratified into noncomplication and complication groups. Renal replacement therapy, respiratory insufficiency, postoperative bleeding, refractory ascites, pleural effusion, rejection, sepsis, and fatal outcome were defined as complications. A secondary stratification, using a peak-PCT of 5 ng/mL, was used to analyzed the risk of a complication. We also analyzed the course of PCT after OLT in each group. Results The peak-PCT, which occurred between the first and third postoperative day in 30 patients, was followed by halving of the value every second day. Three subjects died because of sepsis. A constantly rising PCT or a secondary rise observed in 2 patients was associated with a fatal outcome. The noncomplication group included 18 patients, 8 of them showing a peakPCT <5 ng/mL and 10 above. The complication group included 14 patients who underwent 15 transplantations; Only 1 displayed a peakPCT <5 ng/mL. When the peak-PCT was >5 ng/mL, the odds ratio of a complication was 11.2 (95% Confidence interval, 10.81–11.59; P < .025). However, not before the 7th postoperative day was the course of mean PCT levels significantly different between the complication and noncomplication groups. In transplant patients, an elevation of PCT was observed only in the presence of bacterial infection and not rejection or wound infection. PCT rose during respiratory failure and sepsis, but not renal replacement therapy, ascites, pleural effusion, rejection, or bleeding. Conclusion PCT was a reliable marker. A decline was observed in 31 cases with subject, who both had fatal outcomes showing a constantly rising level. An initial high PCT indicated a poor prognosis; some members of the noncomplication group also had levels >15 ng/mL. The patients in the complication group showed a higher mean PCT, which was significant at 7 days, most probably because of the high variation among levels. Still, a peak-PCT >5 ng/mL showed an odds ratio of 11.2 for patients to experience a complication.

Time of Occurrence of Kidney Acute Antibody-Mediated Allograft Rejection/Acute Cellular Rejection and Cell Senescence: Implications for Function Outcome

Background Late versus early acute antibody-mediated rejection (AAMR) or acute cellular rejection (ACR) episodes are associated with poorer kidney function and graft survival. We explored whether cell senescence upon detection of AAMR ± ACR contributes to these results. Methods We reviewed the renal transplant database of 2 Institutions. Biopsies performed for acute graft dysfunction from January 2000 to March 2007 were analyzed for morphological criteria of AAMR with or without ACR (n = 17 from 17 patients). Immunoperoxidase staining for p16 INK4B was performed on the remaining paraffin-embedded tissue in 9 of 17 cases. The average number of positive cells/high power field (HPF) was calculated in every case. Cases with rejection were grouped according to the time of presentation: early (<3 months n = 8) versus late (>3 months; n = 9). Graft function was obtained using the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (mDRD) glomerular filtration rate estimate (eGFR) before, during rejection, and at the last visit, to calculate ΔeGFR. Results Nuclear expression of p16 INK4B was 12.2 ± 11.3 cells/HPF in 4 of 8 biopsies performed at a median of 23 (range = 4–80) days (early AAMR ± ACR), and 59.8 ± 51.3 cells/HPF in 5 of 9 biopsies performed at a median of 1171 (range = 279–3210) days (late AAMR ± ACR). eGFR before rejection was 48.5 ± 7.6 mL/min, and 43.7 ± 4.3 mL/min for early and late rejection episodes, respectively ( P = not significant [NS]). ΔeGFR of 12.5 ± 25.9 mL/min (early rejection), and −13.7 ± −12.3 mL/min (late rejection), versus last follow-up visit ( P = .02) occurred at a median of 143.9 ± 94.1 and 69.6 ± 35.1 weeks after the rejection episodes, respectively. Conclusions Even though the number of biopsies analyzed for p16 INK4a was small, it was evident that the number of cells expressing this marker of senescence was higher among biopsy specimens obtained with late rejection episodes. This finding suggests the presence of injuries prior to the rejection episode. The significantly lower eGFR at last follow-up in the late rejection group may translate to a reduced capacity of the repair process to sustain nephron function.

Oil red O stain of alveolar macrophages is an effective screening test for gastroesophageal reflux disease in lung transplant recipients

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GORD) and microaspiration may be associated with acute graft dysfunction and development of obliterative bronchiolitis (OB) after lung transplantation. The "gold standard" for diagnosis of GORD is the 24-hour esophageal pH-monitoring study, although no simple, non-invasive screening test is routinely employed. Oil red O staining of alveolar macrophages in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid identifies exogenous lipid and may be a surrogate marker for microaspiration. In this study we aimed to assess the utility of the lipid index in identifying patients with significant GORD. Our investigation was a prospective analysis of 34 lung transplant patients who were transplanted between April 1999 and July 2006 at a single institution. All patients with recurrent respiratory infections, recurrent acute rejection, unexplained graft dysfunction or newly diagnosed OB had Oil red O staining of alveolar macrophages on BAL specimens at bronchoscopy and 24-hour esophageal pH monitoring. A quantitative assessment called the lipid index was performed resulting in a score from 0 to 400. Abnormal 24-hour pH studies were defined as acid exposure >3.4% in the distal and/or >1% in the proximal esophageal site. Thirty-four patients with a mean age 36.1 years and mean post-operative day of 571 +/- 648 had lipid indices of 143 +/- 94 (range 3 to 341). Twenty-four-hour pH studies revealed a distal mean of 16.1 +/- 6.2% and proximal mean of 6.4 +/- 3.7%. A lipid index >150 was 82.3% sensitive and 76.4% specific for an abnormal 24-hour pH result. Foreign material present on cytology of bronchial fluid seen in 28% of patients showed poor correlation with Oil red O stains and pH studies. The lipid index is an effective, non-invasive screening test that provides direct evidence of esophageal aspiration. Patients with high positive results should proceed to surgical assessment for Nissen fundoplication.

190: RSV and Human Metapneumovirus Are Not Associated with Obliterative Bronchiolitis or Inferior Survival Post Lung Transplantation

Seasonal onset of bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome (BOS) in lung transplant recipients suggests respiratory viral infection as an initiating agent. Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and its relative human Metapneumovirus (hMPV) are associated with acute graft dysfunction, although limited data exists on the subsequent risk of BOS and survival longer term. Our aim was to describe the long term outcome of a hMPV and RSV cohort from a single institution.

Epididymal abscess in renal transplant: uncommon presentation of Klebsiella septicemia

We present a renal allograft recipient 16 months posttransplant with an unusual infectious complication. This gentleman was antihepatitis C virus pretransplant, had a live unrelated transplant, and was taking cyclosporine, mycophenolate mofetil, and prednisolone. He developed diabetes and left scrotal abscess 3 months posttransplant and underwent left orchiectomy. He developed acute right epididymitis progressing to epididymal abscess, septicemia, and acute chronic graft dysfunction. Blood cultures and aspirated pus cultures grew Klebsiella pneumoniae and were treated with intravenous antibiotics, to which he responded. This case highlights an unusual complication in renal transplant and its successful management.

En Bloc Retroperitoneal Pancreas–Kidney Transplantation With Duodenoduodenostomy Using Pediatric Organs

Given the shortage of organ donors, there is a critical need to use all available pancreas grafts for transplantation. In the Eurotransplant region, only 26% of all offered pancreas grafts were transplanted during 2007. Pediatric donors are rarely used in pancreas transplantation. In this case report, we describe a retroperitoneal en bloc pancreas-kidney transplantation (SPK) with systemic venous anastomosis and duodenoduodenostomy using grafts from an 11-year-old child. The bloc was transplanted in a 42-year-old type I diabetic patient with end-stage renal disease. The proximal end of the aortic graft was closed. Arterial anastomosis was performed end-to-end between right internal iliac artery and the aortic graft because of severe atherosclerosis. Donor portal vein and donor renal vein were anastomosed separately end-to-side to recipient inferior vena cava. Exocrine drainage was carried out with a side-to-side duodenoduodenostomy. Both grafts were in the retroperitoneal position. The pancreas graft functioned immediately, the kidney graft resumed function at 7 days posttransplantation. Graft function was excellent over a follow-up of 18 months. The patient had no episodes of acute rejection or graft dysfunction, no severe infections, and no additional morbidity from the modified technique of retroperitoneal pancreas transplantation using duodenoduodenostomy. This case indicates that pediatric donors could be used more frequently in pancreas transplantation for adult recipients and could increase the organ donor pool. En bloc SPK is a feasible and safe technique. Further studies are required to confirm the benefits of a retroperitoneal SPK using duodenoduodenostomy.

Urinary tract infections in children after renal transplantation

Urinary tract infections (UTI) after pediatric kidney transplantation (KTX) are an important clinical problem and occur in 15–33% of patients. Febrile UTI, whether occurring in the transplanted kidney or the native kidney, should be differentiated from afebrile UTI. The latter may cause significant morbidity and is usually associated with acute graft dysfunction. Risk factors for (febrile) UTI include anatomical, functional, and demographic factors as well as baseline immunosuppression and foreign material, such as catheters and stents. Meticulous surveillance, diagnosis, and treatment of UTI is important to minimize acute morbidity and compromise of long-term graft function. In febrile UTI, parenteral antibiotics are usually indicated, although controlled data are not available. As most data concerning UTI have been accumulated retrospectively, future prospective studies have to be performed to clarify pathogenetic mechanisms and risk factors, improve prophylaxis and treatment, and ultimately optimize long-term renal graft survival.

Cause of Death in Pediatric and Infant Heart Transplant Recipients: Review of a 20-year, Single-institution Cohort

As infant and pediatric heart transplantation becomes more common, there is a growing need to better understand the causes of failure or death, if we are to continue to improve the outcome in these children. A multidisciplinary team reviewed all deaths occurring in the cohort of infants and children transplanted during the first 20 years of the Loma Linda Pediatric Heart Transplant program, with 2 additional years of follow-up beyond the 20-year accrual period, and classified them as to cause. There were 169 deaths among 421 recipients, with a median follow-up of 9.7 years. Autopsy was performed in 128 cases. The causes of death, in decreasing order of frequency, included acute rejection (26.0%), infection (16.0%), cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV) (14.2%), technical issues (8.3%), acute graft dysfunction (6.5%), neoplasm (7.1%), chronic graft dysfunction (4.7%) and miscellaneous factors (10.1%), and in twelve deaths (7.1%) the cause was unclassified. Acute graft dysfunction and technical issues accounted for nearly two-thirds of the deaths in the first 30 days after transplant, while acute rejection resulted in the largest number of deaths after the first year (30.4%), with CAV a close second (23.5%). Acute graft dysfunction and technical issues were the most frequent cause of early death. Late deaths were most often due to acute rejection and CAV, which differs somewhat from the experience reported in adults. Acute rejection was the single most important cause of late mortality, and resulted in a significant number of late sudden and unexpected deaths.

A Rare Cause of Iliocaval Thrombosis in Kidney Transplantation

Introduction Renal vein thrombosis (RVT) has an incidence of 0.55% to 3.4% and accounts for as many as one-third of early allograft losses. Rarely, RVT may be a consequence of an extension of ipsilateral iliac vein thrombosis. We present a rare case of iliocaval thrombosis as a consequence of inferior vena cava compression by a large-for-size kidney transplant. Case Report A 20-year-old woman with spina bifida and kidney failure received a living donor kidney from her 52-year-old father. On postoperative day 8, the patient had right lower quadrant abdominal pain associated with oliguria. Graft duplex ultrasonography examination revealed venous thrombosis arising in the right femoral vein and extending to the iliac vein. An urgent second laparotomy was performed, and the kidney was finally placed in the peritoneal cavity. Conclusions The eventuality of an inferior vena cava compression by a transplanted kidney should be considered in any recipient with sudden leg swelling and acute graft dysfunction. An early diagnosis and prompt intervention may reduce the progression to RVT and subsequent graft nephrectomy. When planning a kidney transplantation with a supposed size discrepancy between donor and recipient, positioning the kidney on the left side or in the peritoneal cavity may be preferred.