[Chronic dysfunction of a transplanted kidney: the problem still unresolved]

Kidney transplantation represents the best treatment of end stage renal diseases in respect of patient survival and quality of life. Despite many advances in immunosuppression and surgical techniques, many kidney grafts are being lost in the long term, mainly due to chronic rejection and recurrence of glomerulonephritis. Calcineurin drug nephrotoxicity, which was overestimated in last decades, seems to have only minor impact on graft survival if any. Despite better understanding of mechanisms of kidney graft injuries, which are reflected by never-ending changes in histological classification systems, optimal treatment strategies are not available for majority of cases. Prospective randomized trials generated from transplant community are therefore warranted to solve many questions about the therapy.Key words: chronic rejection - kidney transplantation - nephrotoxicity - recurrence.