Structural and Functional Echocardiographic Changes Following Kidney Transplantation: The Role of Allograft Function

Kidney transplantation is associated with early improvement in cardiac function and structure; however, data on cardiac adaptation and its relation to kidney allograft function remain sparse.

To investigate the relationship between post-transplant kidney function and echocardiographic measures in patients with normal/preserved pre-transplant cardiac structure and function.

The study included 113 patients who underwent kidney transplantation at a single tertiary medical center from 2000 to 2012. The patients were evaluated by echocardiography before and after transplantation, and the relation between allograft function and echocardiographic changes was evaluated. Echocardiography was performed at a median of 510 days after transplantation.

The post-transplantation estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) was directly correlated with left ventricular (LV) systolic function and inversely correlated with LV dimensions, LV wall thickness, left atrial diameter, and estimated systolic pulmonary arterial pressure. In patients with significant allograft dysfunction (eGFR ≤ 45 ml/min), LV hypertrophy worsened, with no improvement in LV dimensions. In contrast, in patients with preserved kidney function, there was a significant reduction in both LV diameter and arterial pulmonary systolic pressure.

Our results show that in kidney transplant recipients, allograft function significantly affects cardiac structure and function. Periodic echocardiographic follow-up is advisable, especially in patients with kidney graft dysfunction.