Renal transplant pathology: bahrain experience

A ten-year retrospective study on renal transplant biopsies performed at the Salmaniya Medical Complex, Bahrain was performed. The histological changes were classified according to Banff 1997 working classification of renal allograft pathology. A semi quantitative scoring was also given as per the guidelines. Out of a total of 26 cases, 10 belonged to hyperacute and acute forms, while 11 could be categorized to chronic sclerosing allograft nephropathy. In the remaining five, the graft pathology was unrelated to the rejection process. Despite effective management, four cases underwent nephrectomy due to severe vascular rejection. An interesting feature was recorded in two cases in whom transmural arteritis followed chronic histological changes. Presence of tubular atrophy and interstitial matrix increase were considered useful parameters for assessing the severity in cases with chronic allograft nephropathy.