Encapsulating peritoneal sclerosis after kidney transplantation: a single-center experience from 1982 to 2010

Encapsulating peritoneal sclerosis (EPS), a severe complication of long-term peritoneal dialysis (PD), produces a 50% mortality rate. EPS is characterized by progressive and excessive fibrotic thickening of the peritoneum, leading to encapsulation of the bowel and intestinal obstruction which may present after kidney transplantation (KT), a condition known as posttransplantation EPS. In this study we reviewed 1,500 KT performed in our center from 1982 to 2010, seeking to evaluate the influence of EPS incidence on kidney recipient and graft survival. We detected severe posttransplantation EPS among 16 adult single-kidney cadaveric-donor recipients. The EPS patients (age, 46.68 ± 10.62 years; female/male 5/11) were initially compared with a strictly selected group (n = 48) of non-EPS patients (age, 46.35 ± 10.26 years; female/male, 18/30). Peritoneal dialysis (PD) duration was significantly higher in the EPS group (47.75 ± 9.77 vs. 25.87 ± 10.43 months; P < .0001). This relationship was not only evident on univariate analysis, but also in a multivariate logistic regression model that entered previously selected variables: age (P = .518), sex (P = .796), serum creatinine (P = .441), estimated glomerular filtration rate (P = .566), and diagnostic category (P = .804). Diagnostic plots confirmed the reliability of the logistic regression models. In conclusion, EPS which negatively influences the outcome and quality of life of kidney recipients, was related to PD duration before to KT.