[Laparoscopic nephrectomy for polycystic kidneys: principles and results]

Native nephrectomy and arterial embolization of native kidney in autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease patients: indications, timing and postoperative outcomes

INTRODUCTION

Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) is one of the most common causes of a need of renal replacement therapy. The need (elective vs. systematic) and timing of native kidney nephrectomy (before, after or during kidney transplantation) is a matter of debate and alternatives to surgery, mainly transcatheter arterial embolization have been explored. We performed a systematic review to report all available evidence on postintervention outcomes of native nephrectomy and arterial embolization in ADPKD patients.

EVIDENCE ACQUISITION

A search on Medline, Embase, and Cochrane databases was performed to identify all studies reporting outcomes of native nephrectomy or arterial embolization in APKDs.

EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS

Concerning native nephrectomy, a total of 3626 patients in 37 studies were included with 735, 210 and 2681 patients who underwent native nephrectomy respectively before, after or during kidney transplantation. Major complications were 12.2% in unilateral nephrectomy before transplantation, 25.0% in bilateral nephrectomy before transplantation, 17.7% in unilateral nephrectomy during transplantation, 20.8% in bilateral nephrectomy during transplantation and 23.8% in unilateral and bilateral nephrectomy after transplantation. A total of 230 patients in 7 series of arterial embolization were included. All arterial embolization were performed before transplantation. Mean volume reduction ranged from 36.3% at 3 months to 49% at 6 months. The major postintervention complication rate was 1%.

CONCLUSIONS

Unilateral native nephrectomy before kidney transplantation was associated with the lowest major postoperative complication rate and appears to be the preferred strategy. Arterial embolization reduces kidney volume by 49% at 6 months. Arterial embolization could be considered when the reduction in size of the native kidney is not urgent.

Comparative study of morbidity and mortality pre- and postoperative of laparoscopic nephrectomy for inflammatory versus tumoral cause according to the Clavien–Dindo classification: prospective study over 2 years

Background

For 29 years, Laparoscopic Nephrectomy has steadily established itself as a technique for kidney excision. Patients as well as surgeons appreciate the benefits of this less invasive technique. Although the morbidity and mortality of this minimally invasive technique are relatively low, the risks it entails must be taken into account seriously. The purpose of this study is to evaluate and compare the intra- and postoperative morbidity and mortality factors connected to Laparoscopic Transperitoneal Nephrectomy for inflammatory kidney versus tumoral kidney according to the Clavien–Dindo classification.

Methods

A prospective comparative mono-centric study was carried out over a period of 24 months (January 2018–January 2020) on patients having benefited from a Laparoscopic Transperitoneal Nephrectomy for Inflammatory (Group 1) or Tumoral (Group 2) causes. Postoperative morbidity and mortality were assessed according to the Dindo–Clavien classification.

Results

This study included 60 patients. Group 1 consisted of 32 patients (median age: 50.4 years) and Group 2 of 28 patients (median age: 61 years). Drainage of inflammatory kidneys was done preoperatively by nephrostomy drain (11 cases) and double J probe (3 cases). The mean operating time was longer in Group 1 (234 vs 186.8 min, p = 0.1). The conversion rate was statistically significant in Group 1 (6 vs 1, p < 0.05). The rate of Grade 1 complications is very significant in Group 1: ileus (6 vs 2, p = 0.02), postoperative antibiotic therapy (26 vs 3, p = 0.001) and infection of the wall (4 vs 0, p < 0.001). The rate of severe complications (Clavien ≥ 3) was the same in the two groups. The average length of hospital stay was higher in Group1.

Conclusion

Our work (study) showed a higher rate of severe complications in Laparoscopic nephrectomies for inflammatory causes.

[Arterial embolization of polycystic kidneys as an alternative to ergonomic nephrectomy in renal pre-transplantation. Monocentric retrospective study]

PURPOSE

This study aims at providing a retrospective assessment of the decrease in renal volume after renal artery embolization (RAE) among a group of patients with autosomal dominant polycystic renal disease and for whom transplantation, for ergonomic reasons was temporarily advised against.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Between November 2014 and March 2017, as part of pre-transplantory procedure 15 patients, including 11 men and 4 women benfited from renal embolization (RAE) in a context of preparation for transplant in Lille University Hospital. All of the patients were suffering from autosomal dominant polycystic renal disease (ADPKD) at a severe or terminal stage of renal disease.

RESULTS

The original mean total kidney volume (TKV) was 2550.6 cm³±1771 (1102 cm³; 7310 cm³), the average TKV at 3 months was 1684 cm³±1539 (648 cm³; 6930 cm³) with an average decrease of 33% in the volume (5.2%; 83.9%) (95% confidence interval [0.229-0.436]) (P<0.01) and 1632±1743 (599 cm³; 6758 cm³) at 6 months with an average decrease of 40.7% (7.6%; 64.1%) (IC95% 0.306-0.508) (P<0.01). Among the 15 patients, 13 had their contraindication removed and to date 7 have had successful transplants. One failure due to a very high initial volume (7310cm³) required a secondary nephrectomy. No post-embolization syndrome has been noticed, 2 minor complications occurred (13%) involving a difficult resumption of transit and there was one case of hematuria.

CONCLUSION

ERA procedures must have a place in the ergonomic transplant strategy of patients with ADPKD with a low complication rate and a high efficiency. Nephrectomy indications before transplantation must therefore be reconsidered due to a major postoperative risk. Our results are in line with larger scale studies. Nevertheless, these results need to be confirmed by a large-scale randomized prospective study.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

4.

[Polycystic kidney disease and kidney transplantation]

OBJECTIVES

To perform a state of the art about autosomal dominant polykystic kidney disease (ADPKD), management of its urological complications and end stage renal disease treatment modalities.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

An exhaustive systematic review of the scientific literature was performed in the Medline database (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov) and Embase (http://www.embase.com) using different associations of the following keywords (MESH): "autosomal dominant polykystic kidney disease", "complications", "native nephrectomy", "kidney transplantation". Publications obtained were selected based on methodology, language, date of publication (last 10 years) and relevance. Prospective and retrospective studies, in English or French, review articles; meta-analysis and guidelines were selected and analyzed. This search found 3779 articles. After reading titles and abstracts, 52 were included in the text, based on their relevance.

RESULTS

ADPKD is the most inherited renal disease, leading to end stage renal disease requiring dialysis or renal transplantation in about 50% of the patients. Many urological complications (gross hematuria, cysts infection, renal pain, lithiasis) of ADPKD required urological management. The pretransplant evaluation will ask the challenging question of native nephrectomy only in case of recurrent kidney complications or large kidney not allowing graft implantation. The optimum timing for native nephrectomy will depend on many factors (dialysis or preemptive transplantation, complication severity, anuria, easy access to transplantation, potential living donor).

CONCLUSION

Pretransplant management of ADPKD is challenging. A conservative strategy should be promoted to avoid anuria (and its metabolic complications) and to preserve a functioning low urinary tract and quality of life. When native nephrectomy should be performed, surgery remains the gold standard but renal arterial embolization may be a safe option due to its low morbidity.