[Urinary enzyme excretion in kidney transplant patients]

In a survey the present state of the activity determination of urinary enzymes after kidney transplantation as a diagnostic tool in the control of patients with transplanted kidney is described. A great number of enzymes has up to now been established in these patients. The most extensive data are present for the enzymes alanine-aminopeptidase, N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase and lysozyme. After the transplantation of the kidney typical excretion patterns of the enzymes in the urine are observed in immediate function, retarded onset of the function, without function and acute rejection of the graft. Particularly the behaviour of the urinary enzyme excretion during acute rejection reactions can be diagnostically used. Hereby, the diagnostic reliability of determinations of the activity of urinary enzymes is, however, differently assessed by various authors. In future works in close cooperation between clinic and laboratory the diagnostic validity of the determinations shall unambiguously be characterized and the determinations of the enzyme activity in the urine should be summarized together with other parameters to an optimum combination of parameters for the follow-up investigation of patients who underwent kidney transplantation.