The significance of vascular anomalies in human renal transplantation

In a review of 250 consecutive human cadaveric kidney transplants the primary failure rate of donor kidneys with an anatomically abnormal blood supply was 36.7% as compared with 16.2% for kidneys with a single artery and vein (P less than 0.001). The incidence of primary failure due to renal vascular thrombosis in the abnormal group was 24.2%, compared with 4.1% in the normal group (P greater than 0.001). A significantly greater incidence of anastomotic haemorrhage and urinary leak was also associated with an abnormal blood supply in the donor kidney.