H. Bensadoun

Gastrointestinal complications in renal transplantation

Abstract. One wonders whether the use of cyclosporin, histamine receptor antagonists, low doses of steroids, and early diagnosis and treatment actually modify the incidence, morbidity, and mortality of gastrointestinal (GI) and pancreatic complications in renal transplantation. To find out, we reviewed 614 kidney transplant recipients between January 1984 and December 1988. One hundred patients (16.2 %) were found to have GI and/or pancreatic complications in the following distribution: 9.6% gastroduodenal, 1.3% pancreatic, 4% colonic, and 0.4% small bowel. None of the patients presenting a gastroduodenal ulcer had perforation or bleeding. Fifty‐five percent of the patients with this complication had a past history of eso‐gastroduodenal disease, compared to 19.6% in recipients without gastroduodenal complications. Some 4.4 % of the patients had a small bowel or a colonic complication and four died of peritonitis due to bowel perforation. Mortality was 35 % in those having intestinal resection and/or perforation with peritonitis. Sixteen percent of patients with colonic complications had a known history of diverticula, compared to 3 % for those without colonic complications. The incidence of GI and/or pancreatic complications in renal transplant recipients remains high and has caused 1.1 % of the deaths in our series. Mortality is essentially due to upper GI bleeding, peritonitis following perforation, and infectious colitis. Better detection of gastroduodenal and colonic disease before transplantation seems to be mandatory. Prevention with histamine H2 receptor antagonists and early surgical treatment of complicated colonic diverticula help to reduce the morbidity and mortality in kidney graft recipients.

Value of antegrade ureteral dilation for late ureter obstruction in renal transplants

Abstract. We report on eight kidney‐allografted patients treated for delayed ureteral obstruction between January 1986 and January 1987. In all cases, standard endourological dilation was performed using a balloon catheter, and this was followed by insertion of a pigtail stent. All eight cases showed improvement 1 month after dilation (decrease in creatinine and caliceal dilation). At 6 months, renal function had deteriorated in six patients but remained good in two. One of the six patients was redilated with apparently good results. The remaining five were operated on using their own ureter. We conclude that while internal drainage helps in distinguishing between obstruction and other causes of creatinine increase, antegrade dilation is the treatment of choice for delayed ureteral obstruction.

Prophylactic use of the IL-2 receptor-specific monoclonal antibody LO-Tact-1 with cyclosporin A and steroids in renal transplantation.

LO-Tact-1 is a rat anti-human monoclonal antibody which is directed to the 55-kDa alpha-chain of the interleukin 2 (IL2) receptor. We conducted a pilot trial in 15 first-time cadaveric renal transplant patients undergoing for immunosuppression a 14-day course of LO-Tact-1 (10 mg i.v. daily) together with cyclosporine, low dose steroids (0.5 mg/kg) and azathioprine. Results showed a good immunosuppressive effect, as measured by the similar incidence of acute rejection episodes (0.6 per patient) when compared with 20 patients treated during the same period with our standard quadruple prophylactic combination with higher initial doses of steroids (2 mg/kg) and antilymphocyte globulin (ALG) instead of LO-Tact-1 (0.4 per patient). At 2 years post-transplant, graft survival was 93%, and only 1 patient lost his kidney by rejection. No local or general adverse effect of antibody administration was encountered, and haematological changes remained of minor importance. Local bacterial infection was observed in 3 patients, but viral diseases (including cytomegalovirus, CMV) remained exceptional. In contrast, severe clinical CMV infections occurred in 3 patients (15%) treated by ALG. Nine of 15 patients developed rat-specific antibodies, but only 4 before the completion of LO-Tact-1 treatment, without any correlation with the further development of acute rejection. Patients who suffered rejection had lower LO-Tact-1 levels and higher soluble IL2 receptor levels during the period of infusion, suggesting the crucial importance of pharmacokinetic monitoring to adjust individual doses.