Donor effect on cortical perfusion intensity in renal allograft recipients: a paired kidney analysis

The contributions of donor- and recipient-related factors to renal allograft hemodynamics are difficult to dissect due to methodological reasons. We analyzed 28 pairs of kidneys (each pair from the same donor) transplanted to 56 different recipients in order to define the contributions of the donor and the recipient to allograft hemodynamics.

Two different techniques based on color-coded duplex ultrasound were used: renal resistance index (RI; measured in 3 different segmental arteries) and cortical perfusion intensity (PI; calculated as the average PI of selected cortical parenchymal regions during one heart cycle in standardized registered and processed ultrasound videos). All measurements were performed during the same study visit.

Donor age was 56 years (median, range 17-78) and recipient age at examination 54 years (range 30-77). Median time after transplant (at the date of examination) was 2.4 years (range 0.7-5.5). RI correlated with pulse pressure (r = 0.64; p < 0.001) and recipient age (r = 0.42; p < 0.03), but not with donor age or transplant function expressed as estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) or PI. In within- and between-pairs ANOVA, donor-derived factors determined eGFR (p < 0.02) and cortical PI (p < 0.03), but not RI.

Intrinsic donor-derived factors are associated with GFR and cortical parenchymal perfusion intensity, but not the RI of segmental arteries in renal allografts.