Successful surgical thrombectomy of renal allograft vein thrombosis in the early postoperative period

Pharmarcomechanical thrombectomy combined with transluminal balloon angioplasty for treating transplant renal vein thrombosis

Renal vein thrombosis (RVT) is a rare vascular complication that occurs after renal transplantation and usually results in irreversible kidney damage and graft loss. We report the case of a patient who underwent right iliac fossa allogeneic kidney transplantation and developed RVT combined with ipsilateral thrombosis from the popliteal to the femoral veins, with extension to the common iliac veins, 4 months after transplantation. Under unfractionated heparin anticoagulation, an Aegisy (Life Tech Scientific Co., Ltd., Shenzhen, China) vena cava filter was placed to prevent pulmonary embolism. Percutaneous mechanical thrombectomy combined with balloon angioplasty was performed to aspirate the thrombus and successfully dilate the narrow venous lumen. The patient's renal function was restored postoperatively. Ultrasonography showed the allograft and ipsilateral lower extremity deep veins to be fluent and patent. To conclude, in patients with RVT after renal transplantation, percutaneous mechanical thrombectomy in conjunction with balloon angioplasty can be performed with desirable outcomes and no severe adverse effects. This method reduces the risk of bleeding from exposure to systemic intravenous thrombolysis and avoids surgery-associated trauma.

Management and Outcome After Early Renal Transplant Vein Thrombosis: A French Multicentre Observational Study of Real-Life Practice Over 24 Years

Early (<14 days) renal transplant vein thrombosis posttransplant (eRVTPT) is a rare but threatening complication. We aimed to assess eRVTPT management and the rate of functional renal transplantation. Of 11,172 adult patients who had undergone transplantation between 01/1997 and 12/2020 at 6 French centres, we identified 176 patients with eRVTPT (1.6%): 16 intraoperative (Group 1, G1) and 160 postoperative (Group 2, G2). All but one patient received surgical management. Patients in group G2 had at least one imaging test for diagnostic confirmation (N = 157, 98%). During the operative management of the G2 group, transplantectomy for graft necrosis was performed immediately in 59.1% of cases. In both groups, either of two techniques was preferred, namely, thrombectomy by renal venotomy or thrombectomy + venous anastomosis repair, with no difference in the functional graft rate (FGR) at hospital discharge (p = NS). The FGR was 62.5% in G1 and 8.1% in G2 (p < 0.001). Numerous complications occurred during the initial hospitalization: 38 patients had a postoperative infection (21.6%), 5 experienced haemorrhagic shock (2.8%), 29 exhibited a haematoma (16.5%), and 97 (55.1%) received a blood transfusion. Five patients died (2.8%). Our study confirms the very poor prognosis of early renal graft venous thrombosis.

Post transplant renal vein thrombosis, with successful thrombectomy and review of the literature

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Post transplant renal vein thrombosis is uncommon.

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Post transplant renal vein thrombosis is usually graft threatening.

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Post renal vein thrombosis rarely successfully treated.

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Early diagnosis is essential.

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Surgical thrombectomy with irrigation(TPA) of allograft after ex-plant and re-implant saved allograft.

Introduction

Renal vein thrombosis post kidney transplant is a rare but graft threatening event. RVT is reported in 0.3–4.2% of kidney transplants. When occurring early post transplant, prior to development of collateral venous outflow, may be catastrophic with loss of the allograft or even death. Anatomic abnormalities or technical problems during surgery are common causes. Early diagnosis and urgent treatment are necessary but often unsuccessful.

Presentation of case: We report a patient with residual function in a failing allograft who developed RVT in a living donor preemptive kidney transplant.

Discussion

We review the literature regarding renal vein thrombosis following kidney transplant.

Conclusion

Prompt diagnosis and immediate surgicathrombectomy after ex-planting allograft with subsequent re-implanting the allograft was successful.

Venous thrombosis in unusual sites: A practical review for the hematologist

Thrombosis of unusual venous sites encompasses a large part of consultative hematology and is encountered routinely by practicing hematologists. Contrary to the more commonly encountered lower extremity venous thrombosis and common cardiovascular disorders, the various thromboses outlined in this review have unique presentations, pathophysiology, workup, and treatments that all hematologists should be aware of. This review attempts to outline the most up to date literature on cerebral, retinal, upper extremity, hepatic, portal, splenic, mesenteric, and renal vein thrombosis, focusing on the incidence, pathophysiology, provoking factors, and current recommended treatments for each type of unusual thrombosis to provide a useful and practical review for the hematologist.

The role of thrombectomy and diffusion-weighted imaging with MRI in post-transplant renal vein thrombosis: a case report

Background

Surgical thrombectomy in the context of acute renal vein thrombosis (RVT) post-transplantation has had limited success, with considerable variation in the surgical techniques used. Unfortunately, it is usually followed by allograft nephrectomy within a few days if rapid allograft recovery does not ensue. We report a case of acute RVT in which nephrectomy was not performed despite a prolonged requirement for dialysis post-thrombectomy, but with recovery of renal function 2 weeks later. We also report the findings of serial MRI with diffusion-weighted imaging (DW-MRI) throughout the patient’s recovery, which provided novel insights into allograft microvascular perfusion changes post-thrombectomy.

Case presentation

A 65-year old patient underwent living-unrelated kidney transplantation complicated by acute RVT. Surgical thrombectomy and irrigation led to a delayed, but significant, recovery of renal function. Serial non-contrast DW-MRI scanning was used to non-invasively assess microvascular renal blood flow post-operatively. Unlike standard Doppler ultrasonography, DW-MRI documented reduced microvascular perfusion initially, with gradual but incomplete recovery that mirrored the partial improvement in renal function.

Conclusions

Our findings suggest that surgical thrombectomy may be more effective than previously described if followed by careful patient observation. Moreover, diffusion-weighted MRI appears to provide important insights into the pathophysiology of delayed graft function and deserves further investigation.

A case report of venous thrombosis after kidney transplantation - We can save the graft? Time is the success factor

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Kidney graft vein thrombosis is a rare surgical complication.

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The reports of graft rescue are scarce.

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The diagnosis of vascular complications should be done as early as possible.

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The fundamental to the success is the time of diagnosis to intervention.

Introduction

Venous thrombosis is a serious surgical complication that frequently results in loss of kidney graft.

Case presentation

We report the case of a female patient recipient of a decease kidney transplant that in the tenth postoperative presented with hematuria, graft pain and oliguria. Ultrasound examination was suggestive of venous thrombosis with abnormal doppler waveform pattern and reversal of diastolic flow. She underwent emergency surgical intervention after 2 h of diagnosis. The vein thrombus was removed by perfusing the renal graft artery with 1000 ml of Euro-Collins solution. The patient evolves with recovery of renal function after 1 week of the procedure

Discussion

Similar reports of graft rescue in the vein thrombosis are scarce and that the time of diagnosis to intervention is a determining factor.

Conclusion

Rapid diagnosis of exactly 2 h combined with the early re-operation may be successful in preserving renal graft in cases of venous thrombosis.

Late Allograft Renal Vein Thrombosis Treated With Anticoagulation Alone: A Case Report

BACKGROUND

Allograft renal vein thrombosis is a rare complication of kidney transplantation. Most cases occur in the first 2 weeks after transplantation, but there are cases described many years after the transplant surgery. Allograft loss is the usual outcome.

METHODS

We present a case of a renal transplant recipient with allograft renal vein thrombosis associated with deep venous thrombosis of a lower limb, 9 years after transplantation. He was successfully treated with anticoagulation alone, with recovery of allograft function.

RESULTS

The patient was given unfractioned heparin and elastic compression stockings. Five days later, the patient recovered diuresis and hemodialysis treatment was discontinued. Doppler ultrasound was done and revealed partial re-permeabilization of allograft renal vein, with maximal velocity of 15 cm/s. After 30 months of follow-up, the patient was maintained on oral anticoagulation with warfarin, and no thromboembolic or hemorrhagic events were documented. The patient's serum creatinine was stable, between 1.6 and 1.8 mg/dL.

CONCLUSIONS

Our patient demonstrated that anticoagulation alone and dialytic support might be able to promote total recovery of allograft function after renal vein thrombosis.

Successful renal transplantation in the right iliac fossa 2 years after serious deep venous thrombosis in a patient with systemic lupus erythematosus

Deep venous thrombosis (DVT) possibly occurs in the perioperative period, and induces serious complications such as a pulmonary embolism. On the other hand, allograft renal vein thrombosis leads to a high incidence of graft loss. We experienced a case in which a serious DVT occurred prior to renal transplantation; however, a successful renal transplantation in the right iliac fossa was performed after 2 years of anticoagulant therapy. It is suggested that the external iliac vein even after suffering from DVT can be anastomosed to an allograft vein successfully, when enough blood fl ow or a lower venous pressure is confirmed. However, one should be aware of the risk factors and the adequate management of thrombosis in renal transplantation because of the serious complications of DVT and the poor prognosis of allograft vein thrombosis.

Chronic renal vein thrombosis in a renal allograft. Case Report

Acute renal vein thrombosis in a renal allograft is uncommon and usually occurs in the post-transplant period. Chronic renal vein thrombosis can occur insidiously many years after transplant without significant deterioration in renal allograft function or symptoms.