Posttransplantation complications of lower limb polytetrafluoroethylene grafts in children

Two children had polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) arteriovenous thigh grafts for hemodialysis access. In one patient, after renal transplantation, a steal syndrome, which prevented renal graft function, developed. The renal transplant functioned promptly when the vascular graft was ligated. In the second case, acute thrombosis of the PTFE graft resulted in transient hypertensive encephalopathy. PTFE thigh grafts, because of the diversion of a large percentage of cardiac output through them, may have dramatic and dangerous consequences in transplanted children.