Case Report: Horseshoe Kidney Transplantation Using Split Technique

With the increasing demand for donor organs and its limited availability, kidneys with atypical anatomy are being used more and more. The experience with transplanting horseshoe kidneys is limited. Understanding variations in uretero-pelvic anatomy and aberrant vascular anatomy is of paramount importance for the utilization of horse-shoe kidneys for transplantation. We describe our experience in procuring a horse-shoe kidney from a deceased donor, splitting the kidney and transplantation into 2 recipients.

Alum irrigation for the treatment of adenovirus induced hemorrhagic cystitis in a kidney transplant recipient

Adenovirus is a rare cause of hemorrhagic cystitis in the transplant population. We present a case of a forty-one-year-old man with end-stage renal disease who underwent living unrelated donor kidney transplant in 2016. In 2018 he presented with acute onset gross hematuria and dysuria, with serologic testing and immunohistochemical stains of biopsy specimens positive for adenovirus. He was treated with reduction in immunosuppression, cystoscopy with evacuation of clots, and alum bladder irrigation. His hematuria resolved almost immediately with no recurrence to date. This case demonstrates the efficacy and safety of alum irrigation in patients with adenovirus hemorrhagic cystitis.

Tacrolimus vs Neoral in renal and renal/pancreas transplantation

In a retrospective analysis we compared the outcome of a group of 63 kidney or kidney/pancreas transplant recipients who were transplanted between June 1994 and February 1997 and received either tacrolimus (FK, n = 22) or Neoral (NEO, n = 41) as part of a triple immunosuppressive protocol. Ten patients in the NEO group has recurrent rejection episodes between 1 and 8 months post-transplant and were converted to FK. CellCept was the secondary immunosuppressive agent in about half the FK, three-quarters of the NEO, and in all but one in the conversion (CON) groups. Patients in all groups were on prednisone in equal amounts. Mean duration of follow-up for FK, NEO and CON groups was 32, 19 and 13 months, respectively. One-yr patient and graft survival was 100% in all groups. At 2 yr, graft survival was 95, 96 and 100% in FK, NEO and CON groups, respectively. Acute rejection at 1 yr was twice as high in the NEO group as the FK group. There were no rejection episodes among the FK patients who also received CellCept. The mean current serum creatinines (mg%) were: FK = 1.6, NEO = 1.8, CON = 1.9. Recurrent infection was more common with FK (8/22) than NEO (1/31) (p = 0.023). Our experience suggests there is less rejection but more infection in recipients treated with FK compared to NEO. In patients with recurrent rejection, conversion from NEO to FK stabilizes renal function and minimizes subsequent rejection episodes.

Hyperacute rejection from antibody against class II HLA antigens

The clinical significance of anti-B-cell antibodies in kidney and pancreas transplantation remains unresolved. Here, we report an isolated hyperacute rejection of the kidney, but not the pancreas, during a simultaneous kidney-pancreas (SKP) transplant. The hyperacute rejection was due to IgG antibodies directed against class II antigens expressed on B-cells. Antibodies directed against class II antigens are generally not thought to produce hyperacute rejection, since class II antigens allegedly are minimally expressed on vascular endothelium in the kidney. The pancreas was spared and continues to function normally, suggesting that class II antigens were not strongly expressed in this pancreas. The differential susceptibility to B-cell antibodies of the two transplanted organs is noteworthy and should call attention to the danger from IgG antibodies to class II antigens in kidney transplantation.

The significance of the IgG anti-B-cell crossmatch on renal transplant outcome

Transplantation in the presence of anti-class I antibodies usually results in allograft hyperacute rejection. Because of the perception of its uncertain clinical significance, B-cell crossmatch which identifies presence of anti-class II antibodies is not universally performed. In a retrospective study, the clinical course of renal transplant recipients with IgG anti-B-cell antibodies was analyzed and compared with case control patients transplanted contemporaneously, matched demographically and immunologically. The incidence of hyperacute, acute, and chronic rejection as well as graft loss were significantly higher in the group with anti-IgG B-cell antibodies compared to the control. We conclude that anti-B-cell IgG antibodies are harmful to allografts with a spectrum of events that include hyperacute, acute, vascular and chronic rejection. While allografts were successful in some patients, our experience suggests caution whenever anti-donor B-cell IgG is present. If transplants are performed, then more potent immunosuppression should be used.