Renal transplantation for end-stage polycystic kidney disease

From 1963 to 1984, 56 renal transplants were performed in 51 patients with end-stage renal failure due to autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD). There were 49 cadaver and 7 living-related transplants. Overall patient and graft survival was 88 per cent and 66 per cent at one year, 59 per cent and 49 per cent at five years, respectively. There was no significant difference in patient or graft outcome with cadaver versus living-related donor kidneys. One-year graft success with and without pretransplant bilateral nephrectomy (BN) was 78 per cent versus 58 per cent, respectively (n.s.). Patient survival after return to dialysis after graft loss was not compromised by the earlier performance of BN. In patients who did not undergo pretransplant BN, there were no complications from the retained native kidneys after transplantation. In cadaver recipients, the two-year graft success rate with and without preliminary blood transfusions was 54 per cent versus 61 per cent, respectively (n.s.). Cadaver graft survival with and without adjunctive antilymphocyte globulin (ALG), excluding 3 recipients managed with cyclosporine, was 88 per cent versus 50 per cent at one year, and 70 per cent versus 32 per cent at five years, respectively (p less than 0.05). This beneficial effect of ALG was still evident when only transfused cadaver recipients were analyzed and was achieved with no resulting compromise in patient survival. Follow-up computerized tomography (CT) scanning of the transplant kidney in 10 recipients with a long-term (1-9 years) functioning allograft showed no evidence of recurrent ADKPKD.